A Happy Dream
by angel0wonder
Summary: The wheels of fate turn to allow for new opportunities, possibilities, and change. Specifically for two girls whose fortunes never allowed them to be together, until now.
1. Nice to meet you

Disclamier: PMMM is owned by Gen, Shinbo, and SHAFT. (not me)

* * *

><p>The day they met was made of gold. The summer heat was cooling down to make way for the autumn season, and the trees were starting to shed their greens and were spotted with oranges and yellows and reds. Classes had just ended and students dotted the streets, reveling in the warm golden sun and surrounded by golden trees.<p>

In one part of the modern city of Mitakihara, where it was considered the 'old' part of town, there were streets with outdated and abandoned buildings. A lesser known space where the advances of technology hadn't flourished like it had with the rest of the city.

One building in particular, a rundown brick apartment building, before the original owners decided to move somewhere more high-tech, was now empty of use and its rooms dusty. Except for one room where one teenager took up temporary residence.

It was in the middle of the day, yet this teenager was fast asleep even with the golden sunlight shining through the window directly on her, trying to coax her awake with its warmth. She was sprawled over a bare mattress on the floor, with a half-eaten piece of pocky sticking out of her mouth that she must have been chewing on absentmindedly before drifting to sleep. And unlike the rest of the kids her age, she hadn't been attending school.

It was apparent that she wasn't having the most pleasant of dreams. Her eyebrows were furrowed, creating a crease between them on her too-young face. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her body constantly shifted as if in distress.

"Sa…" she breathed out as if she was in pain. "Sayaka…"

Kyoko jerked awake with a startled snort, unwittingly inhaling the half-eaten pocky that had been dangling from her lips while she slept. After a few seconds of hacking and finally spitting the damn pocky stick out, Kyoko took a few breaths to calm her head.

"The hell kind of acid-induced dream was that?" Kyoko grumbled, picking up the pocky she had been choking on a few seconds ago and sticking it back in her mouth. She wasn't one to waste food.

The redhead stretched her arms over her head and arched her back earning a few satisfying pops. The old springs in the thin mattress under her screeched with every movement. She swallowed the last of the candy and swung herself out of the squeaky bed. As if on cue her stomach growled loudly.

Kyoko started rifling through the various paper bags and cardboard boxes littering her tiny room in search of some grub. "Well, damn." Kyoko sighed when everything turned out empty. Looked like a trip to the convenience store was due today. After a moment's hesitation, Kyoko reached under the mattress and pulled out something black and heavy. She tucked the item inside her belt at the small of her back, and covered it with the hem of her sweater.

Kyoko turned to the single window in the room, the bright midday sun greeting her invitingly. Ritualistically Kyoko slid it open and stepped out onto its ledge and jumped, making her exit from two stories up.

The fire escape screamed in protest when Kyoko's boots touched down on it, making the redhead wince. One of these days that fire escape was going to fall apart under her weight.

"What weight, I'm starving!" Kyoko declared before pushing off the metal grill and freefalling the remaining ten feet to the cracked pavement below in a truly weightless manner.

And even as she sauntered away from the rundown brick building where she slept on her way to the convenience store, the strange dream still lingered in her mind. Right behind the thoughts of dancing Pringles, of course.

.-.-.

When Kyoko tried to walk into the convenience store as casual as possible, the clerk's eyes immediately zoned in on her. She noticed with exasperation that she was being watched like a hawk and sighed. She tried to visit as many variations of stores as possible and tried to keep her visits quick and infrequent. But it seemed that someone had picked up on the fact that food seemed to disappear whenever she was around.

After a few moments of idly browsing the food aisles to see if the clerk would lose interest in her, she gave up and left.

"Tch." Kyoko kicked at the pavement in annoyance as she walked out the entrance. The next food store was several blocks away. She was hungry now, damn it! Patience was one virtue she didn't possess.

She idly glanced down at her attire and wondered if it was her appearance that brought suspicion. Her worn light green sweater and jean short shorts didn't exactly scream 'street punk!' in her opinion. 'Poor as hell!' is what it probably said. A change might be necessary, she admitted to herself. Kyoko sniggered at the idea of jumping a school girl and stealing a fancy school uniform. Nobody suspected _them_ when they went shopping. Probably no pocket space, though.

"Speak of the devil," Kyoko said to herself when a girl wearing a fancy school uniform happened to walk out of the store Kyoko had just left, a bulging grocery bag hanging off her arm. Kyoko's mouth almost started salivating as she fantasized about all the possible foods the bag might contain.

Kyoko internally debated for a few moments if she was willing to pull off this particularly risky grab and run. In the end her hunger and impatience won out and she started trailing the girl, pulling her hood over her head. She waited until the girl was isolated and started speeding up before breaking out into a full sprint.

With a grin, Kyoko reached for the bag of groceries and yanked it out of the unsuspecting girl's hand before making a mad dash across the street, dodging breaking and honking cars, masking the girl's shout of surprise and outrage behind her. Kyoko managed to make it to the other side of the road without getting run over and continued running until she was sure she was out of sight.

She turned a few corners just to make sure she wasn't being followed before she settled down on a park bench for breakfast. Lunch. Dinner, or whatever the hell meal this time of day called for. Kyoko had a bad habit of staying up nights and sleeping in half the day, so her internal clock was screwed up beyond repair.

"Please be delicious, please be delicious~!" she sang excitedly to herself as she opened the bag to see what she had lifted. "Hey, this all junk food!" Kyoko stated as she rifled through an assortment of chips and cookies and ice cream. She grinned broadly. Apparently she had the same tastes as miss fancy-pants. Or more likely the other girl just had shitty tastes like hers.

"Taiyaki!" Kyoko crowed triumphantly as she pulled out a wrapped fish-shaped cake. She immediately took a bite out of it and groaned in pleasure as she discovered the bean-paste filling. What a nice find.

"HEY!" a voice shouted off to Kyoko's side in her general direction. The redhead almost didn't pay attention if the voice hadn't sounded so angry. Maybe she would witness a good fight, she idly hoped as she turned her head, cheeks stuffed with taiyaki like a chipmunk hording nuts. A fierce glare greeted her. It took her a couple of seconds to register that the glare was aimed at her and the source was the very girl she had just mugged.

The girl was standing there, panting, obviously having been searching for her mugger. It must have been quite the trial to follow Kyoko up to this point.

"Well, shit." Kyoko sprayed a few crumbs onto her lap before she took off running in the opposite direction, bag of food clutched protectively over her chest and the tail end of the fish pastry sticking out of her mouth.

"Wait!" the girl yelled after her, hot in pursuit. Kyoko ducked between two tall buildings and quickly led her pursuer through a maze of alleys that she knew too well.

'Damn, she's persistent. And all for a bag of crappy food!' Kyoko huffed in aggravation as she attempted to outrun this school girl. She was faster, but the other girl seemed to really _really_ have it out for her and managed to keep up despite being outclassed.

"Ahh, screw this shit!" Kyoko yelled as she rounded a corner, stopped and waited a few seconds. Pounding footsteps approached quickly and just as the other girl appeared Kyoko held out her arm and slammed the girl in the chest, clothes lining her. The hit was enough to knock the other girl down hard onto the pavement.

"Eat that, bitch." Kyoko panted as the school girl laid on the floor stunned and coughing. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay down and forget this ever happened." Kyoko growled ferociously. Honestly, she will fuck up anyone who got in-between her and her meal without a problem.

Kyoko started to walk away, expecting the other to heed her warning.

"You think I'll just let scum like you walk away?" The voice made Kyoko pause in step and turn around in surprise. The other girl was getting up and was fearlessly glaring into Kyoko's eyes with serious blue ones.

"You know," Kyoko said with a smirk as she let the grocery bag slip from her hand onto the ground to crack her knuckles. "All that food can't be healthy. I'm basically doing you a favor. What's with this ungrateful attitude, huh?" Kyoko said mockingly.

"It's not about the food." The other girl said with obvious disgust. "It's because you're a thief and I'm going to turn you over to the authorities!" she declared dead seriously.

Kyoko stared at her for a second before she burst out in laughter. "Oh wow, justice type, eh?" she clapped a hand to her bare knee in hilarity. "Don't see your type around too often!" Kyoko laughed at the other girl, who looked to be getting angrier the more Kyoko cackled.

She finally stopped laughing with a deep breath before spitting on the ground in distaste, keeping a taunting eye the short-haired girl.

With an angry yell the other girl launched herself at Kyoko, fist cocked.

It was a half-decent punch, but it lacked experience. Kyoko side-stepped and pounded her own fist into the girl's stomach, making her stagger. "Should someone from such a prestigious school," Kyoko gestured to the girl's fancy school uniform, deciding to leave her boot print on it with a vicious kick. "Really be picking a fight in an alley with someone as suspicious as me?" Kyoko said as she punched the girl again with her other fist.

"Shut up!" the girl yelled as she grabbed the fist she was just punched with, surprising Kyoko. The uniformed girl then slammed her forehead into Kyoko's chin, completely stunning her for a second. It appeared the other girl was just as affected by the maneuver but she pressed her advantage by throwing herself onto the thief and jamming her elbow into her abdomen, using their falling momentum to create further damage.

Kyoko's breath left her as she was forced onto the ground with an elbow carrying the other's entire weight in her gut. "You bitch!" she snarled, grabbing the other girl's much shorter hair and shoving her face onto the dirty ground next to her own. However, she struggled and managed to kick Kyoko away from her, but the redhead pounced before she was able to get up and they went down again.

They rolled around, punching and kicking and pulling and scratching, a fight where both refused to back down.

Kyoko finally gained the advantage and was on top of her, raining fierce punches down at whatever flesh she was able to reach, which was mostly the girl's arms as she protected her head. Her fists started targeting the ribs and sides, making her lower her guard to allow Kyoko to aim at her face again mercilessly. After pounding her knuckles into the girl's face one last time and surely blackening her eye, she stopped, breathing harshly.

"Yeah, how do ya like me now?" Kyoko chuckled gruffly, wiping at her lip in satisfaction. Despite a swollen eye, the girl under her was still able to keep up her glare and Kyoko had to admit, she was impressed with the girl's guts.

"Still look shabby to me." the girl under her retorted. Kyoko wondered where that sauce came from when she just had her ass kicked.

"Hey, who're you calling sh-" Kyoko's angry retort was cut off abruptly when a pair of ankles crossed over her throat and rapidly pulled her head and body back awkwardly to slam the back of her head against the cement.

"ARRRG!" Kyoko roared as she clutched at her wounded head, rolling away from the other girl before any other moves could be pulled. "Sunova-cheesecracker-motherfuckerrr!" Kyoko yelled through gritted teeth, nearly bighting her tongue off.

The cursing helped make the pain ebb away from her nearly cracked skull until it was numbed out. A quick inspection with her fingers made sure there was no bleeding, but the massive lump would give her a headache for days.

"Jesus," Kyoko spit on the ground before she staggered to her feet and headed for the girl that was still on the ground recovering from Kyoko's earlier assault. "You're so goddamn annoying!" Kyoko shouted down at her as she delivered a vicious kick to the girl's side, making her grunt.

Kyoko took a few steps back to lean against the opposite brick wall. The other girl also gingerly pulled herself into a sitting position and leaned on the wall behind her, wincing as she did so. For a few moments the two girls cooled their heads while they rested.

"Now will you stay the hell down?" Kyoko growled in annoyance as she pushed off the wall to grab her now hard-earned bag of food. "Honestly, your crummy food better be worth the trouble." she grumbled as she started walking away from the girl.

"You're not getting away with this!" The girl behind her certainly still sounded lively if nothing else.

"I know." Kyoko responded grimly before rounding a corner and disappearing from the other girl's sight. She paid for her sins every day.

"Crap, I lost the taiyaki." Kyoko noticed as she rifled through her winnings after walking for a few minutes.

"Hey, we can get you some if you do a little something for us, Kyoko." a taunting voice said ominously from the shadows. It was a voice she recognized and Kyoko flinched at the malicious tone.

"Ryu?" Kyoko snarled the name and immediately broke out into a run to escape. However, she found her path was blocked by two other guys that had appeared at the alley opening. She turned to run the other way, to find three more guys there as well. "Fuck!" the redhead growled in frustration. How did she let them surround her so easily?

"Like I said, we want something from you." The man known as Ryu spoke up once again, stepping directly up to Kyoko, towering over her and casting his shadow on her face. She stepped back to gain distance from him, not even wanting his shadow to touch her. The two guys behind her grabbed her by either arm and lifted her up on her toes. She tried to kick them but they were experts at holding people against their will.

"What do you want, Ryu?" Kyoko spat, trying to act her toughest even though her fight with the other girl earlier left her slightly worn out.

Ryu had the greasiest look of a punk you can imagine, and the sleazy grin twisting his lips as he leaned in close to her face made Kyoko grimace. "You know what we want," he jeered as his hand found its way to the front zipper of Kyoko's sweater. "What we always take from you."

The redhead spat a wad of spit in the guy's face, and she was immediately slammed into the ground, the four other guys holding her thrashing body down, pinning her arms and legs with their knees and elbows, bruising them. Ryu stood above her, calmly wiping the saliva from his face. "Bitch," he sneered. "You're going to get what's coming to you."

Kyoko clenched her jaw and bared her teeth at the guy, though her body was trembling in fear and she felt completely helpless. She truly hated this man with every fiber of her being.

"Hey, leave her alone!" a familiar voice suddenly demanded. All heads turned to see who the hell had interrupted their session with the pinned homeless girl. Standing near them with a lead pipe in her hands was the girl Kyoko had just fought.

Her rich uniform was now dirty and disheveled from their earlier throw-down. The thick and bright red ribbon on her throat was half torn off and dangling, revealing her pale throat and collarbone. Her tousled teal hair hung just below her chin and was being held back by two yellow clips on either side of her head. Bangs swept across her forehead over her eyes. Eyes of the same bluish quality as her hair, one considerably swollen, regarded the gang of guys with a nervous determination.

It was quite the sight, Kyoko thought. She half-expected a white cape to be billowing behind her.

"Oh, a volunteer!" Ryu laughed, looking the schoolgirl up and down. "Did you make a friend, Kyoko?" he asked mockingly down at her.

"Get out of here, you fucking idiot!" Kyoko screamed at the girl furiously. Did this girl honestly follow her and thought she could just step in like a fucking naïve wannabe hero of justice and save her? "Do you wanna die or something?"

"That's fine with me!" the girl yelled back in way of response. "I certainly can't sit back and let you fall alone! What the hell kind of person would do that?"

Kyoko was struck speechless and she stared at her with wide crimson eyes. '_This girl_,' she thought as the one playing hero brandished the lead pipe in front of her as if she was wielding a sword. '_Is fucked_.'

Ryu placed his hands and his pockets and nodded toward the other girl. "Take her." He sighed simply, as if he was reluctantly popular with girls. The two guys who had been holding her legs down moved to follow the order. The ones holding her arms forced her into a sitting position and twisted her arms behind her back.

The girl with the pipe stepped back cautiously as the two guys approached her, setting themselves on either side of her and dividing her attention. The first one lunged and she swung wildly with a cry. He blocked the blow with his arm but she had swung hard enough to make him stagger slightly. The other guy took advantage and tackled the girl to the ground, knocking the lead pipe out of her hand as he crashed on top of her.

"Shit," Kyoko cursed under her breath as the other girl was taken down swiftly. Honestly, what had she expected? The redhead starting struggling as hard as she could, eventually cracking the back of her head against the chin of one of the guys holing her. Her head screamed with renewed pain, but she couldn't let this chance slip. The guy had loosened his grip on one of her arms briefly, and that was all the opportunity she needed.

She yanked her hand free of his grip and frantically reached for the item hiding against the small of her back. "STOP!" she roared, pulling a hand pistol free from her jacket and waving it at them. She first aimed it at the two guys holding her. "Let me go!" They quickly released her and she hurriedly scrambled onto shaky legs.

All movement in the alley seemed to have frozen in the presence of the black Beretta in her hand and adrenalin shot through her veins like liquid courage. "Get down! I said GET DOWN!" she yelled at them, making the group of guys slowly lower themselves to the ground. Ryu looked particularly insulted at these turn of events.

"You think I'm going to let this slide, bitch?" he growled threateningly.

"Hey you," Kyoko indicated the girl that had come to her rescue, staring dumbly and open-mouthed at her gun. "Get behind me." Kyoko's tone left no room for arguments and the girl hesitantly got off the ground and behind the safety of the one holding a weapon.

"We're coming after you, ya know. We're going to tear you to pieces." Ryu kept talking.

"Shut up!" Kyoko aimed the gun directly between his eyes and he laughed.

"You don't have the balls to shoot me." he drawled confidently. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Kyoko's face as her finger shook on the trigger.

"Yeah?" Kyoko pulled back her arm and pistol-whipped Ryu as hard as she could across the temple, knocking him to the ground. "Then you can suck my giant dick, Ryu."

The four remaining guys eyed Kyoko wearily as she started inching back slowly towards the alley opening, keeping the berretta trained in their general direction as she kept the other girl close behind her with her other hand.

"If you come after me, I'll really shoot you." she warned them, keeping her eyes on them until the last possible second. She paused before grabbing the other girl's hand and shooting off in the opposite direction.

"Hurry, run!" she urged frantically as she practically dragged the other girl behind her as she sprinted through and between as many buildings as possible. "We don't have much time before they come after us!" She tried to zigzag as much as possible to confuse their pursuers.

She suddenly realized that the girl behind her was barely keeping up probably due to injuries. She probably wouldn't be able to support this running herself for much longer. Stopping, Kyoko looked around frantically for a place to hide.

The dumpster she spotted looked like a God-given gift. "Quick, get in the dumpster!" Kyoko said, pushing the girl over and flipping open the lid. The smell that assaulted them made both of their faces screw up in disgust.

"Funny, I never thought that sentence would ever be said to me!" the girl next to her suddenly laughed in disbelief that she was actually moving to get into the dumpster.

Kyoko was caught off guard with the random laugh coming from the girl who had been so serious with her so far. Had she finally cracked under pressure? "I think I might have punched you in the head too much." Kyoko muttered as she climbed into the pile of trash after her. They were standing waist-deep in stinking garbage and Kyoko reached over her head to pull the cover down as softly as she could.

"Hey, isn't a dumpster a little obvious as a hiding place?" the girl asked as they were plunged in darkness and putrid smelling substances.

"They'll check the dumpster." Kyoko confirmed. "But they're not going to dig through the trash." she said before the other girl could open her mouth to protest.

"You've got to be kidding me." she said with a disgusted groan when she heard Kyoko start burrowing into the rotting heap surrounding them.

"Pretend it's fucking rainbows and strawberries, just hurry the hell up!" Kyoko hissed at her. She was glad the darkness was hiding her green face. She held her hand to her nose and plunged the rest of the way, hiding beneath as much trash as possible until she was certain they wouldn't spot her from above. A moment later she felt the girl next to her do the same.

They sat under that pile of trash with their hands over their mouths and noses to prevent any stray gagging noises from escaping when they heard the footsteps fast approaching. They flinched together when someone kicked the side of the dumpster loudly.

Soon after, the lid of the dumpster was being opened. Kyoko could imagine whoever had opened it to have an extreme look of disgust as the smell of rotting garbage assaulted his senses. She was counting on this repulsive smell to be their defense and that the person would give up looking inside this particular dumpster very quickly. A few tense seconds ticked by and they didn't dare move or even breath in fear of being discovered.

Finally, the lid was dropped with a relieving clunk and a voice shouted "I don't think they've gone this way!" before the footsteps started running away. Kyoko tried to wait as long as possible until she is sure he's gone, but she didn't think she could hold her breath any longer.

"Puha!" Kyoko breathed loudly as she surfaced from the garbage like a swimmer coming up for air, if that swimmer had been swimming in infested waters. The homeless girl threw the lid off and hurriedly clawed her way out of the dumpster.

School girl followed suit, falling on her hands and knees the second she was out. "I think I'm going to puke." she remarked, looking and sounding nauseous.

"Please don't puke," Kyoko demanded. "If you puke, I'm gonna puke, and that's just wasting food." she said, trying to brush a particularly sticky mystery substance off of her jacket front.

"Stop smearing crap all over yourself. What are you, crazy?" the other girl commented in distaste.

Kyoko opened her mouth to tell her off, but then looked down at herself. If it looked like shit and it smelled like shit… Well, shit.

"If someone here is crazy, then it's you!" she growled in a rush of irritation. Clean clothes were hard to come by in her profession. "Why the hell do you feel the need to get yourself killed, huh? Earlier, I could've pulled the fucking gun on you when you came after me. I could've killed you, or stolen every ounce of clothing you had on you! Ever think of that, genius?"

Kyoko knew that yelling with danger close by wasn't one of her smarter choices, but damn it if she wasn't going to beat some sense into this stupid girl even if she had to pull the rotten fish out of her hair and slap her with it!

"Then why the hell didn't you!" the other girl snapped, standing up and shoving Kyoko angrily. "Take that disgusting gun and freaking shoot me and do us both a favor!" she yelled, flushing with true fury for reasons Kyoko wasn't aware of.

The redhead was thrown off by the rage and she backed up a couple of steps to stare at the other girl. She looked close to tears, beaten up, covered with trash, and frustrated beyond belief. But it was obvious that the anger wasn't directed at Kyoko, but rather at the way her day was going. The homeless girl realized she probably looked the exact same way.

"This stupid thing isn't even loaded." Kyoko let her know with a deep irritation-cleansing sigh. She pulled the Beretta out of her jacket and tossed it into the dumpster they just crawled out of in disgust. "I found that thing in a gutter. I planned on using it as a last resort," she reached up and slammed the lid back down, ridding the object from her life. "But I think I just made my life more trouble than it's worth." Kyoko scuffed her boots on the pavement and glanced up. The other girl looked stunned at the fact Kyoko had thrown the gun away. Her hands fell limply to her side and her stance slumped, as if her vehemence was finally draining away.

"Those guys," the short-haired girl's voice sounded weary, instead of furious like it had a second ago. "What were they going to do to you?" she asked quietly.

Kyoko gulped when those blue eyes looked at her expectedly, asking her a question she didn't want to be asked.

"I can handle whatever those guys can throw at me," Kyoko said a little defensively.

"You only pulled out the gun because I was there, didn't you?" It wasn't a question; she was merely stating a fact.

"So?" Kyoko asked in vexation. "You expected me to do nothing when I see a naïve dumbass with a death wish dropping in like everything is her business?"

"So you expected me to do nothing," the girl across from her countered. "When I see a criminal dumbass with a death wish getting treated as if she thought her life was worthless?"

Kyoko grabbed at her ponytail in annoyance. "Damn self righteous pain in the ass brat!" Kyoko grumbled as she pulled pieces of plastic from her hair. She couldn't look the other girl in eye. She really couldn't.

"My first impression of you was wrong. I'm sorry I called you scum."

"Huh?" Kyoko looked up in surprise. That was the last thing she expected to hear.

"But, you still stole from me." the blue-eyed girl said firmly. "So we're even."

"The hell we are!" Kyoko gestured around her wildly. "In case you haven't noticed, I didn't get any food out of this deal! And I have a pack of mouth breathers on my ass ready to hunt me down! And you're telling me we're even?" she shouted in exasperation.

"Then, take me home." the other girl sighed tiredly, gingerly placing a hand on her side. "Because I don't think I can walk very far." With that, she started swaying slightly on her feet and Kyoko automatically reached out to steady her.

"Hey, are you alright?" Kyoko asked anxiously.

"I'm fine," the girl pulled the ribbon from her throat and tossed it aside. "You're just good at what you do."

"Well, thanks for the compliment." Kyoko said awkwardly as she pulled one of the girl's arms over her shoulders to support her better. They were roughly the same height, Kyoko having maybe a couple of inches on the other girl. "Where do you live?"

"Not far." the girl commented as she leaned on Kyoko slightly. "A little far. Ok, far."

"The hell?" Kyoko grunted in irritation as they started walking. "Are you okay with me knowing where you live?" Kyoko asked tentatively after a few minutes. "I could steal the rest of your food, or," her face grew sly. "Steal something even purer, if you know what I'm saying."

A foot stomped on her toes, hard. "Jeez!" Kyoko flinched at the pain. "If it offended you so much, then I take back the purity comment!"

They both huffed and looked away pointedly. It was a little awkward to do, since they were leaning against each other as they walked.

"Sayaka Miki."

"God bless you." Kyoko said automatically.

"It's my name!" the girl said in irritation.

"Oh?" Kyoko cocked her head to get a better look at the girl's embarrassed face. "You didn't have to tell me, you know."

"I know." Sayaka said, looking down at the pavement. "I wanted to."

Kyoko blew her bangs out of her eyes with an amused gust of breath. "You're a weird chick."

Sayaka frowned at the comment.

"My name is Kyoko Sakura." the redhead said with a proud smile. "Nice to meet you."

Sayaka glanced up to catch the grin. That's when a gust of wind blew a golden leaf their way to settle on top of Kyoko's head without her noticing. Sayaka reached up to pull the leaf away automatically, taking Kyoko by surprise when her hand reached for her face. The redhead blushed slightly when she realized Sayaka was just getting a leaf and they continued walking as if nothing happened. The day had acknowledged their fateful meeting.

* * *

><p>AN- Everyone! Cover your children's eyes, secure the animals in the zoo, and have the fire extinguishers on stand-by. Angel0wonder has decided to write a love story.


	2. If I do you, will you do me?

They spent the next half an hour navigating their way towards Sayaka's apartment building. Any passerby who looked on the scene would raise eyebrows at the peculiar pair. Two beat up girls looking as if they had been swimming through a landfill leaning on each other as they walked through the streets. One looking guilty and obligated, the other resentful and shamefaced. They kept their faces turned away from each other the entire time as if pretending the other wasn't there. People crossed to the other side of the street to steer clear of them and their fragrance.

"This the place?" Kyoko grunted as they neared a tall apartment building. She was more worn out than she had realized. It was quite pathetic really, but all she wanted to do at this point was fill her belly and pass out. "Looks cozy."

"Yeah. If I feed you we'll be even, alright?" Sayaka said, looking more perked up now that her building was within sight.

"Woman after my own heart." Kyoko grinned at the mention of food and proceeded to pick up the pace. As they neared, both noticed someone was pacing worriedly in front of the entrance. When the person noticed their approach, she suddenly broke out into a run towards them.

"Oh crap." Sayaka sighed deeply. Kyoko raised an eyebrow.

"Sayaka-chan! I was so worried about you!" a girl dressed in the same uniform as Sayaka (the cleaner version), with cute twin tails at either side of her head jogged up to them. "When you ran off after the whole Kamijou thing, I thought maybe you had…" When she got a good look at them she gasped and tears gathered in her eyes.

"Sayaka-chan, what happened?" she asked hurriedly. Sayaka separated herself from Kyoko in an effort to demonstrate that she was fine but staggered a bit at the sudden lack of support.

"I'm fine Madoka, see? I'm sorry I worried you." Sayaka looked honestly flustered as she tried to reassure Madoka.

"But you have a black eye!" Madoka placed her hands tenderly on either side of Sayaka's face, brushing her bangs aside to get a better look.

"It's nothing, honestly! You're overreacting!" Sayaka tried to smile, but couldn't help wince.

"And you look like you were attacked by trash cans!" Madoka insisted. She noticed Kyoko standing by awkwardly, looking for a chance to escape. "Will you please tell me what happened?" she pleaded when she saw that Kyoko was in a similar state as her friend.

Sayaka looked away uncomfortably and spoke from the side of her mouth. "I got hit by a garbage truck." she muttered. Kyoko had to look away so that the short one with the pig tails couldn't see her stifle her laugh. Hit by a garbage truck! That's one she hadn't heard before.

"But what about that girl?" Madoka pointed at Kyoko, calling Sayaka out on her lie.

"She got hit by the garbage truck too." Sayaka said even quieter, face becoming red. "Lots of garbage trucks are just running people over nowadays, haven't you heard?"

"Fine," Madoka let it go for now. "But we should get you cleaned up. And your friend too."

"She's not my friend." Sayaka said at the same time Kyoko said "Don't mind if I do!" They shot each other looks, one dirty and the other smug.

"She helped you here, didn't she?" Madoka said.

Sayaka looked sullen as Madoka looked at her expectantly. "Well, yeah. I was going to bring food out for her…" Sayaka stammered.

"She's not an animal, Sayaka-chan!" Madoka reprimanded her. Sayaka chanced a glance at Kyoko, who was scratching at the back of her head and discovering a long piece of red string there getting tied up in her fingers. The black bow on top of her head and a sharp canine poking out of the side of a scowling mouth as she struggled to untangle the string in her hands gave her an overall feline impression.

"She looks like a stray cat to me." Sayaka voiced her thoughts.

Madoka frowned at her before she stood before Kyoko and bowed, much to the other girl's surprise. "Thank you for helping my friend and bringing her over even when you got hit by the garbage truck too." Madoka said with a sincere smile.

The genuine expression of gratitude caught Kyoko off guard and she scratched at her cheek in discomfort. "Er, yeah, no problem." she replied in a stammer as she managed to throw the distracting piece of string to one side. "It wasn't that big of a garbage truck, so…" Kyoko tried to go along with a straight face, but a smile was breaking out and she had to stop.

"I'm sure it was," Madoka replied with a nervous laugh before she started leading Sayaka towards the glass sliding door that was the entrance to the apartment building. "You come too…?" Madoka trailed off as she prompted the redhead for her name.

"Kyoko Sakura." she supplied almost reluctantly. She wasn't exactly used to being led around, but she hesitantly started following the pair into the building lobby when Sayaka punched in the security code.

"Nice to meet you Kyoko-chan, my name is Madoka Kaname." she introduced herself with a friendly smile.

"Madoka? Your niceness is freaking me out." Kyoko blurted out honestly.

Madoka giggled girlishly behind her hand. "You're funny, Kyoko-chan." Sayaka appeared extremely annoyed with their interaction, which made Kyoko smirk mischievously.

"Say Madoka," Kyoko began as they gathered in an elevator, Sayaka pressing the necessary button to rise. "We're lucky you're here after we got hit by garbage trucks and everything."

"Oh no, I was just stopping by to cook Sayaka-chan some dinner to cheer her up, that's all." Madoka said self-consciously.

"I told you that wasn't necessary, Madoka." Sayaka said, slumping against a wall tiredly.

"I know I wasn't able to console you today, Sayaka-chan!" Madoka turned to her pleadingly, making Sayaka's head lower. "But if this is the only thing I can do to comfort my friend, I'll do it!" Sayaka's head was bowed to her chest and she hid her face away from them. Kyoko looked between them and wondered what the hell kind of drama she was missing.

"Haha, what a good wife!" Kyoko said after a few seconds to relieve the serious tension in the air.

Madoka visibly collected herself before turning back to Kyoko. "If you want, I can make you dinner too?" she offered.

Kyoko's gaze became extremely passionate as she gazed at Madoka. "Marry me, Madoka." Kyoko asked adoringly.

"Hey!" Sayaka snapped. Kyoko's provocation seemed to make her forget all about her own troubles. She pulled Madoka closer to herself. "Madoka is my bride, got it?"

"Let the lady decide for herself, hm?" Kyoko grabbed Madoka's other wrist and pulled, smirking at Sayaka.

"Um, the door," Madoka tried to get their attention as she squirmed between their grasps.

"Look, you're making her uncomfortable with your nasty smell!" Sayaka pulled back on Madoka's arm, effectively converting her into a makeshift tug a war rope between the two. "Will you never be satisfied after stealing my food, you have to take my wife too?"

"It ain't stealing if she comes willingly. Right, baby?" Kyoko grinned wolfishly down at the small girl between them. "And you smell pretty nasty yourself, you know."

"Uh," Madoka stammered, looking between them uncertainly.

"I'm sure you can make her very happy living together in your cardboard box!" Sayaka retorted.

"Hey, I take offense to that!" Kyoko was starting to get ticked off. "It's a very nice cardboard box, thank you very much! I put up a little disco ball and everything."

"EXCUSE ME!" Madoka finally worked up to yelling to get their attention. They paused and looked down at the pink-haired girl. "The doors are open." she said quietly pointing.

An elderly couple was staring at them blankly, waiting for them to get out so they could get in.

"Oh!" Sayaka dropped Madoka's arm and bowed quickly. "Please excuse us!" she said, clearly flustered that she had gotten caught up in an elevator with witnesses. They stepped off the elevator hurriedly to allow the couple to enter.

Madoka was the only one to notice the gagging faces of the couple when they stepped into the elevator and were attacked by dumpster stench. She sent them a sympathetic glance as the doors closed on them before they had the chance to hurl themselves out of the stink.

Madoka walked between the two girls letting them use her shoulders for support. Kyoko and Sayaka were able to stare each other down over her head. Kyoko decided to mess with Sayaka by suddenly winking at her. The short-haired girl narrowed her eyes warningly.

The trio eventually reached Sayaka's door.

"Sorry for intruding." Kyoko said as she stepped inside and removed her boots.

"What do you know, she has manners." Sayaka said with a smirk.

"Do you want to get hit by that garbage truck again? I heard it's just running people over all the time, you know." Kyoko snickered as she held up a fist. Sayaka looked about ready to take her on, but Madoka quickly stepped in between them.

"Please stop, both of you!" Madoka looked about ready to burst into tears. Sayaka winced at the expression on her friend's face and looked away guiltily.

"Kyoko-chan, you're a guest in Sayaka's house so please respect her." She turned to Sayaka. "Sayaka-chan, Kyoko-chan is your guest, so treat her as such."

"Yes, Madoka." both girls responded like reprimanded children.

"O-okay then." Madoka wasn't used to wielding the authority over her friends. They usually behaved better. "Well, uh, why don't you two get in the bath while I make something for us to eat?"

* * *

><p>"Why do we have to bathe together?" Sayaka grumbled to herself as she watched Kyoko play with the tub's remote control across from her.<p>

"This thing is so freaking cool!" Kyoko eagerly said, referring to the many options of bathing she had at her finger tips.

"Is it?" Sayaka tilted her head to the side. "It's pretty standard in Mitakihara."

The two of them were sitting in a tub meant for one, facing each other with their knees bent up and touching in the center. Neither seemed to be particularly uncomfortable with the other's nakedness.

"What does this button do?" Kyoko asked, not bothering to wait for an answer as she pressed down on it. The water around them suddenly rose in temperature and became almost intolerably hot.

"It's hot." Sayaka commented needlessly.

"What about this one?" Kyoko pressed a new one and kept her finger there. The water's temperature started lowering rapidly to almost intolerably freezing.

"It's cold." Sayaka said with a violent shiver.

"This one looks interesting." Kyoko said and the bath instantly became heavily scented with the smell of lavender.

"It smells." Sayaka remarked with a roll of her eyes. This game was getting old quickly.

"Last one." She pressed a button she discovered hidden on the side of the remote. This particular button apparently affected the whole room. The lights dimmed, the water started churning warmly and sensually against their bodies, and rose petals fell from the ceiling to land delicately on the water's surface. The song_ Let's Get It On_ started playing in the background.

"Ooooh," Kyoko smiled deviously as she looked at Sayaka's now mortified face. "I _like_ this setting. I think I'll keep it like this."

Sayaka lunged for the controller and plucked it out of a laughing Kyoko's hands. "Give me this stupid thing!" She made quick adjustments to a normal bath setting, making the lights turn up, the music stop, and the water fill with bubbles instead of more rose petals. When this was done Sayaka placed the controller as far away from Kyoko as possible.

The redhead was already dumping shampoo onto her head and lathering up, still snickering a little. "Saving that feature for later? I'm down with that."

"In your dreams." Sayaka responded, grasping a bar of soap and getting to work ridding herself of the dumpster smell.

"I'm sure I've got better things to dream about." Kyoko flicked some bubbles in Sayaka's general direction.

"I wish Madoka hadn't seen me like this." Sayaka said quietly as she gingerly ran the soap up her ribs, cringing as she did so. "I tell her she doesn't need to worry about me, but I keep proving myself wrong."

"Making stupid decisions tend to do that." Kyoko said passively before she dunked a bucket of water over her head to get rid of the shampoo lather. "Damn, I hope you didn't give me a concussion back there." she grumbled to herself as she poked at the Mt. Lump on the back of her head.

"Your hair is so long," Sayaka commented as she fiddled her own chin-length hair. "How on earth do you keep it clean?"

Kyoko's dark red hair, now out of its ponytail and heavy with water, would probably reach the backs of her thighs if she stood up.

"There's this guy who lives on my street," Kyoko said as she reached over to snatch at the soap from Sayaka's hand. The short-haired girl kept the soap out of reach. "Poor guy works at a company that works him twelve hours a day for crappy pay. Even on weekends!" Kyoko said with mock outrage as she went for the soap again.

"So, what about this guy?" Sayaka grunted as she switched the soap to her other hand and out of Kyoko's reaching hands.

"Well, his shower is really easy to break into." Kyoko said with a self-satisfied look on her face.

"Forget I asked." Sayaka rolled her eyes and held the soap over her head. Kyoko reached for it, having to stand up slightly on her feet, but one foot between them slipped on the tub's slippery floor and collided with Sayaka's crotch.

"AIIE!" Sayaka yelped in rage, her grip on the soap tightening reflexively and flying from her hands to land on Kyoko's face.

"Ah, my eyes!" Kyoko was blinded by the soaps suds.

"You idiot! Why did you do that?" Sayaka seethed as she splashed water at Kyoko, face burning.

"It was an accident, idiot!" Kyoko yelled back, retaliating with her own splash. They were about ready to strangle each other when a voice from the other side of the door stopped them.

"Hey, what did I say about fighting?" Madoka said from the opposite side of the door. "Stop it or I'll… I won't make you dinner!" she attempted threatening.

"Yes, Mother." they both grumbled at the same time. They glanced at each other before they huffed and looked away again. Kyoko wiped at her soapy eyes and sniffed. Sayaka sighed and held out the bar of soap to Kyoko, which had slid back over to her side in their struggle. Kyoko exchanged the shampoo with Sayaka and took the soap.

They silently resumed their wash. Sayaka looked at the now almost empty bottle of shampoo and sighed in resignation.

"So you live by yourself." Kyoko stated, trying to resume their conversation.

"Um, no." Sayaka hummed as she lathered her hair. "It seems that way most of the time though." she said absentmindedly as she played with her short hair, pulling it upwards into a makeshift mohawk. "I live with my mom. She's on a… business trip." was her vague answer.

"How old are you anyway?" Kyoko asked curiously.

"Sixteen. You?"

Kyoko paused to think for a second. "Seventeen-ish, I think." she answered.

Sayaka furrowed her brows. "You think?"

Kyoko shrugged as if she didn't care. "You lose track when nobody notices." she fiddled with her hair a bit, very aware of Sayaka's blue eyes on her.

"What about your folks?" Sayaka asked.

"If I do you, will you do me?" Kyoko asked quickly, avoiding the question all together.

"Wait, what?" Sayaka was clearly thrown off by the other girl's words and her eyes were wide.

"Your back." Kyoko deadpanned, holding up a washcloth.

"Ah," the short haired girl blushed slightly at her own line of thoughts. She maneuvered herself in the tub so that her back was facing Kyoko. The redhead scooted forward a little too eagerly.

She started scrubbing away at Sayaka's back, but paused when a pained hiss escaped the other girl's lips. Kyoko got a better look at the expanse of skin before her, seeing the bruises on her sides the shapes of her own fists. For the first time, guilt started gnawing away at Kyoko's insides. Oddly, she had no idea what to do with these feelings. Her washing became gentler, bordering on caressing as she ran the washcloth down Sayaka's naked back.

Sayaka sat rigidly as Kyoko's touch became increasingly attentive. She didn't know what to make of Kyoko's sudden thoughtful silence behind her and she was growing increasingly paranoid at the possibility of the redhead plotting something.

"You an athlete?" Kyoko asked suddenly, startling Sayaka from her paranoid thoughts.

"Yeah, women's softball at my school." Sayaka answered, looking over her shoulder. Kyoko was poking at her like a specimen in a dish and she was growing impatient. "I thought I got to do you after you did me?"

"Oh?" Kyoko couldn't help laughing at the bold statement. "Help yourself." She halted her mapping of Sayaka's back and maneuvered herself so her back was facing the other, sweeping her hair to one side.

Sayaka lathered up her hands and touched Kyoko directly when she started washing. Kyoko sucked in a breath through her nose as she tried to ignore the awkwardness of it all. Sayaka ran her hands over the taut skin and over every scar with a very curious look on her face. As if she could unlock a mystery if she traced the crescent shaped scar on the small of Kyoko's back.

"So, uh," Kyoko cleared her throat with the intention of filling up the silence with small talk. "You got a boyfriend?"

The other girl's reaction was immediate. The touching halted and Sayaka sighed as a dark look crossed over her face.

'Sore subject?' Kyoko thought when the other girl slipped her hands from her body and drew back to her side of the tub. Kyoko tentatively turned back around, curiosity raging when she saw Sayaka's flustered yet angry expression.

"No." Sayaka finally answered with a low growl, making the redhead raise an eyebrow at the tone. She wondered if it had anything to do with what's his name that Madoka mentioned earlier.

"What was that guy's name again? Kami… Kajou…" Kyoko mused, finger on her chin in an overly-thoughtful manner.

"Kamijou." Sayaka mumbled, sinking to her neck in the bath water.

"Right, that." Kyoko smirked. "You mad?"

Sayaka scoffed as she remembered the day's events. "Mad? Why would I be mad? I mean, they're both my friends, or so I thought!" Sayaka's hands started snaking up and gesturing angrily without her noticing. "You'd think they'd tell me that they've been going out for a while now, but no, they go behind my back thinking they're 'protecting me'. Gah!" Sayaka gripped at her hair in frustration. "IT PISSES ME OFF SO FREAKING MUCH!"

Kyoko stared at the girl across from her with a bored look on her face. "So… You like this back-stabbing prick?"

"What? No!" Sayaka said indignantly. "We're just childhood friends!"

"Uh-huh." Kyoko kicked up one of her legs to scrub at it. "So are you going to tell him how you feel?"

Sayaka sank further into the tub's bubbly water. "I don't… That's not… we're..! You know what, that's none of your business. Why am I even talking to you?" she asked grumpily.

"Beats me." Kyoko wriggled her toes at Sayaka. On an impulse Sayaka grabbed Kyoko's toes and got an unexpected result.

"Hyuu!" Kyoko squealed. They stared at each other for a moment, Kyoko's face becoming increasingly red with every second that passed. She had not expected such a sound to escape her lips. Ever.

"Wh-what the heck was with that unbelievably cute noise!" Sayaka exclaimed. She started playing with Kyoko's toes even more.

"No don't, hyaa!" Kyoko squirmed in place. "I'll kill you! I'll frigging, nyaaa!" Kyoko mewed uncontrollably, Sayaka's grip on her foot not letting her escape. "Imma tell your boyfriend! Hnng!"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Sayaka yelled, pulling Kyoko's toes apart.

"Ah, you're going to rip them!" Kyoko decided to retaliate by grabbing hold of one of Sayaka's feet and sinking her teeth into the tender sole.

"Oh my God, you're biting it?" Sayaka hollered, pulling on Kyoko's toes harder. Kyoko's squeal was muffled as she bit down harder on Sayaka's foot while tickling the sides with her fingers. Sayaka proved not to be immune to the sensations as she broke down in laughter.

Noticing she was gaining the upper hand, Kyoko started nibbling on the foot in her mouth to increase the tickling sensations, even occasionally licking it.

"Haha! Stop! Pffft, stop molesting my foot!" Sayaka said breathlessly between peals of laughter.

"This is payback, payback I say! Omnomnom."

"That's not food you know!" Sayaka finally managed push Kyoko's face off with her other foot and she fell back against the tub still laughing.

Kyoko leaned back on her side, laughing as well, and decided she liked looking at Sayaka's smiling face. A soft knock on the door interrupted the content atmosphere they had suddenly found themselves in.

"Um," Madoka's subdued voice hesitantly spoke. "If you two aren't doing anything naughty, the food is ready."

While Sayaka's jaw dropped at the insinuation, Kyoko heard the words 'food' and immediately stood up in the tub.

"FOOD!" she exclaimed, jumping from the tub. "Whoa, head rush!" She slipped and slid on the tile floor briefly as she tried to reach the door, dripping water everywhere.

"Hey, you're getting water all over the floor!" Sayaka shouted, grabbing a towel for herself and wrapping it around her waist.

Meanwhile, Kyoko reached the door! And opened it! And charged for the kitchen in all her naked glory! "FOOOOD!"

"AH! Kyoko-chan, you're naked!" Madoka observed, sounding a bit traumatized.

"So? I'm starving! What's this?"

"Kyoko-chan, be careful! The stove is still hot!"

"YOOOW!"

"Oh my God, Kyoko-chan is on fire! What should I do?"

Sayaka sighed very deeply through her nose, trying to calm her raging stress. "This is okay." she said to herself. "I'm okay with this. I brought it on myself, after all."

"Oh no! I tried to put Kyoko-chan out with the table cloth, but now the table cloth is on fire!"

"DON'T JUST SCREAM ABOUT IT, HELP ME DAMN IT!"

"D-don't yell at me, I-I can't handle pressure!"

"STOP BEING USELESS!"

"BAAAAAAWWW~"

"I'M STILL ON FIRE!"

Sayaka listened to all this with a reluctant look on her face. "The apartment is going to burn down, isn't it?"

* * *

><p>AN- I got a little bit carried away there at the end. Aw well, I had to set someone on fire at some point in the story anyway.


	3. It was because I saw you naked

"My, that was a close call!" Sayaka said with a laugh as a plate of food was placed in front of her.

"Yes, if Sayaka hadn't smothered Kyoko-chan with that bathrobe, the whole place would have burned down!" Madoka said cheerily, setting down plates of food in front of Kyoko and herself. Sayaka and Kyoko were now wearing matching white bathrobes, although the one Kyoko was wearing was now blackened from putting out the flames.

"Yeah, well. Shut up." Kyoko said through a mouthful of food that she had immediately started stuffing down her throat.

Sayaka was scrutinizing Kyoko. "That was a pretty big fire. Isn't it weird that you're conveniently unharmed?" she pointed out.

"What are you talking about? My hair is a bit singed!" Kyoko said, tugging at a lock of hair.

"It must be because she was already wet." said Madoka as she broke apart her own chopsticks.

Kyoko scoffed loudly. "Figures the only luck I had today was that Sayaka made me really wet." she grumbled.

"Wha-?" Sayaka's face blushed heavily. "Wha-wha-what?"

"Oh, that reminds me!" Madoka exclaimed, getting up and disappearing into the kitchen.

"How does _that_ remind you of anything?" Sayaka yelled in a flustered tone while Kyoko laughed. Madoka reappeared with bandages in her hand.

"When you blushed, your eye really flared up." Madoka explained as she used scissors to cut the bandage to the appropriate size. She scooted over to Sayaka and reached for her face. The shorthaired girl moved her head back automatically as the foreign object came close to her eye. Madoka frowned and wagged the bandage insistently. With a sigh Sayaka offered up her face with eyes shut.

The small girl carefully placed the square of bandage under Sayaka's blackening eye. "There you go!" Madoka clapped her hands together like a proud mother. "See, that wasn't so bad!"

"These," Sayaka said slowly, hissing at the coolness against her swollen face. "Are really nice." She could already feel the swelling going down as the coolness seeped into it.

"Ah, they're the new partially alive ones. It'll fall off when you're healed." Madoka explained as she put the bandages away.

Sayaka opened an eye to peer at her. "So you just carry high-grade bandages around with you?" she commented with a teasing smirk. "I knew you were clumsy, but not _that_ clumsy."

"My mom gave them to me, geez!" Madoka said, suddenly self-conscious. "Would you like some too, Kyoko-chan?"

"Hm?" Kyoko had a mouthful of noodles dangling from her lips and onto her chin. Her cheeks were full as she regarded Madoka as if she had forgotten she was there in the face of her meal.

"Saving up for winter there?" Sayaka remarked, gesturing to her own cheeks. Kyoko narrowed her eyes at her and slurped up the noodles loudly and swallowed everything up in one gulp.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Madoka asked Kyoko again to gain back the attention the redhead was giving Sayaka.

"Ah," Kyoko's hand unconsciously went for her head. "I have a bump on my head that hurts like a bit-, I mean, it's really painful." Kyoko had held herself back from swearing because Madoka was looking at her as innocently as a child that never heard such words in her life.

"Could you show me where?" Madoka inquired with a polite smile. Kyoko seemed reluctant to put her chopsticks down, but she eventually did before she pointed to the back of her head. Madoka scooted over, bandage in hand.

"I don't think the bandage will go since I got a lot of hair. And if you suggest cutting it, I'll cut you instead." Kyoko let Madoka know casually. Madoka paused as Kyoko's words registered.

"Oh, ah, okay." Madoka was visibly deflated and scared. Sayaka glared at Kyoko and was about to tell her off for scaring Madoka, but the pigtailed girl perked up when she had a thought. "I just remembered I have something for that!"

Sayaka and Kyoko watched her with a 'the heck is she carrying around with her?' look as Madoka rifled through her school bag. She pulled out a small bottle with a proud grin on her face.

"These are pills that can help with that." she informed them, looking happy that she was able to be of use to someone.

"I don't think so," Kyoko looked skeptically at the bottle. "Last time someone offered me pills, I wound up thinking I was a magical girl for a whole night, swinging an umbrella around because I thought it was a spear, and attacking what I thought were 'witches' when I was actually charging into an elementary school playground."

Blue and pink eyes stared at her blankly.

"True story." the redhead said with a sip of water.

"You'd make a terrible magical girl." Sayaka said.

"What are you gonna do, shoot me with a blast of friendship and justice?" Kyoko responded with a look that dared the shorthaired girl to challenge her.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Madoka shouted in exasperation, lunging across the table and popping one of the pills into Kyoko's mouth. Both Sayaka and Kyoko appeared stunned by the smaller girl's actions. "I, I'm just trying to help…" Madoka shrunk, her sudden boldness dissolving in an instant.

Kyoko stood up from her kneeling position angrily. "Hey, what the hell are in these pills anywa…" Before she could finish yelling, her eyes rolled up into her head and she tipped backwards.

Sayaka responded quickly and was there to catch the girl before she hit the floor. Holding Kyoko's limp form in her arms, she looked incredulously at Madoka. "Holy crap, did you kill her?" she asked in alarm.

Madoka was on the verge of tears as she waved her hands hectically. "No no, no! They're only nanobots that target damaged areas! I don't think this was supposed to happen!" Madoka cried.

"You mean you don't know what's supposed to happen!" Sayaka yelled frantically, trying to jostle the redhead in her arms awake.

"I'm sorry!" Madoka buried her face in her hands, bawling.

"Kyoko! KYOKO!" Sayaka brushed red hair off of the girl's forehead and ran her hand over her face, trying to illicit a response. "C'mon, stay with me, Kyoko!"

"You know, I would say something dirty right about now," crimson eyes opened groggily. "But I think you two are funny enough as it is." she remarked. Her eyes focused on Sayaka's face and she suddenly blushed as she found herself in the other girl's arms. "You didn't, like, do mouth to mouth on me or anything weird did you?" she stammered, periodically looking from Sayaka's eyes to her lips.

"As if!" Sayaka exclaimed, unceremoniously dropping the redhead to the floor and standing up with a furious blush on her face. "Geez, you had Madoka going there for a minute! Look, you made her cry!" Sayaka was yelling heatedly, gesturing to the girl who was now crying tears of joy at Kyoko's sudden revival.

"Kyoko-chan, are you okay?" she asked in over concern. Kyoko was sitting up and rolling her shoulders.

"Yeah. Actually, I feel pretty damn good right now!" she said with a curious look on her face. "My headache is gone and I feel like I just had a really nice nap!" Her face suddenly fell. "I wasn't attacking school children, was I?" she looked around her, noting that she was still in the same place as when she passed out.

"Oh no!" Madoka laughed in relief. "You were only out for a few seconds." Madoka looked down at the floor and rang her hands together. "I'm sorry I forced you to take those pills, Kyoko-chan." New tears formed in her eyes. "I just wanted to help you."

Kyoko stared at Madoka, feeling the need to be furious, for some reaction to burst out of her fist and into the sniffling girl's face for that little stunt she pulled… But she just felt too goddamned_ refreshed _to be angry. And Madoka looked a year's worth of apologetic.

"It's okay, it's not like I was hurt or anything." Kyoko murmured uncomfortably. She didn't know how to deal with crying girls outside of telling them to suck it up and deal with it. "And stop crying, will ya? It's not a good look on you."

"Thank you, Kyoko-chan!" Madoka beamed gratefully at her as she wiped at her tears.

"Uh-huh." Kyoko said uncomfortably as she grabbed for her chopsticks to resume eating, not accustomed to having unadulterated happiness aimed in her direction.

Sayaka ran a frustrated hand through her hair and heaved a tired sigh as their interaction finished. "I think that's my cue to put our clothes to wash." she said as she stood up and headed for another room of the apartment. She entered a small closet-like room next to the bathroom where they had thrown their dirty clothes away and closed the door behind her.

On the wall was an opening of a clothes chute that went all the way down to the basement where the clothes were instantly cleaned and jettisoned back to their original rooms in a matter of minutes. Sayaka tossed their clothes down the chute and stood leaning against the wall with her arms crossed to wait for their short return.

Now alone with her own thoughts, Sayaka swallowed thickly and thumped her head against the wall in irritation. "Just a little longer," she whispered to herself. "Let me not think about him for just a little longer until they leave…"

Kyoko glared in the direction Sayaka had disappeared in. "That girl really needs to stop shoving that stick up her a-," Kyoko paused when she noticed Madoka smiling at her with such a genuine 'good girl' aura that Kyoko nearly bit her tongue. "I mean, she needs to chill out…"

"Oh, she was just really worried about you." Madoka chuckled. Kyoko scoffed in disbelief and slurped up a large helping of noodles. "No, really!" Madoka insisted at the redhead's disbelief. "She can be hotheaded, stubborn, and she can get into a lot of arguments," Madoka trailed off a bit as Kyoko gave her a deadpan look. "But she's a really good girl! She's kind, she's brave, and she always tries to solve everyone's problems!"

"That's the damn problem!" Kyoko exclaimed. She pointed at Madoka with her chopsticks. "Listen Madoka, to survive in this world you gotta forget about that fairness and justice bullsh-, crap. If Sayaka just goes around with that naïve way of thinking, she's going to get herself hurt. Be it physically or mentally."

Madoka looked a little shaken. "I, I don't think I can forget about fairness and justice…"

Kyoko shrugged as she stuffed a piece of bread into her mouth. "You go ahead and stay just the way you are. Some people just don't need to know. But this Sayaka chick needs a wake-up call."

Kyoko held out her now empty bowl to Madoka, asking for seconds. The pink-haired girl happily obliged and filled the plate to the brim. Kyoko snatched the bowl back eagerly and resumed talking.

"If it wasn't for Sayaka's white knight delusions, we wouldn't have gotten hit by Tonka trucks or whatever!"

"Garbage trucks," Madoka quietly corrected.

"Yeah, well, the point is!" Kyoko waved her chopsticks around in the air as if to illustrate her point. "That she rushed head-long into trouble and would've been killed if I wasn't such a _fucking_ saint!" She finally gave in to her urge to curse as she got worked up just thinking about the other girl's dumbassery.

"But in your own way, you're worried about her, right?" Madoka asked, surprisingly unfazed by Kyoko's outburst. "You brought her back and you want her to stay out of the way of Tonka trucks."

"Garbage trucks," Kyoko mumbled around a roll dipped in sauce.

"The point is," Madoka mimicked Kyoko's earlier act of brushing the other off. "That you're both really nice girls and should try to get along better."

"Hey, you're right!" Kyoko said sarcastically. "That means I should get the hell out of here when I finish eating. Then I'll never have to see her again!" She grinned at the thought. Madoka sighed resignedly.

"It's not very nice to talk about people when they're not in the same room." Sayaka announced her presence uncaringly. Madoka smiled guiltily while Kyoko continued eating unapologetically. Sayaka carried their washed, steamed and dried clothes that were neatly folded as if they had been freshly ironed. She dropped Kyoko's neat pile of folded clothes next to the girl.

"Whoa, that was fast." Kyoko commented as she eyed her clothes that looked brand new. "This city has got it made."

"Glad to see my food hasn't been swiped when I wasn't looking," Sayaka half-joked with a pointed look in Kyoko's direction. The accused girl shrugged in unconcern.

"I admit I was tempted." was Kyoko's honest answer accompanied by a slight smirk. "A growing girl's gotta eat."

"At other people's expense?" Sayaka retorted, finally picking up her own untouched plate of food.

Kyoko rolled her eyes at Sayaka restarting the same argument. "Damn it all, you are _not_ ruining my first nice meal in days with this shit." As if to punctuate this point, the redhead started cramming food into her mouth at a faster pace, pointedly ignoring Sayaka's look.

The blunette looked about ready to snap, when a few choice words caught her attention. 'First nice meal in days?'

"Kyoko, I was wondering," Sayaka spoke with a thoughtful expression. "Are you homeless?" she inquired with simple curiosity.

The addressed girl froze mid-chew at the question. Glancing up at Sayaka, the girl resumed chewing with an air of underlying irritation, letting Sayaka know she didn't appreciate the question at all.

Madoka looked uncomfortably between the other two. "Hey, Sayaka…" Madoka said quietly in warning. But Sayaka wanted to hear the answer from the girl's own mouth and waited.

Finally swallowing, Kyoko lowered her chopsticks and looked into Sayaka's eyes defiantly. "If they say home is where the heart is," with a hand she crossed out her heart over her chest. "Then I got rid of that a long time ago." she stated. An uncomfortable silence settled over the table.

"Kyoko-chan…" Madoka said in sympathy.

"So, you are?" Sayaka confirmed with an annoyed expression. "Why didn't you just say that, instead of adding to it? Trying to sound cool or something?"

"What the hell is with that reaction!" Kyoko yelled in extreme frustration, slamming down her eating utensils.

"Because I don't believe that crap about getting rid of your heart for one second!" Sayaka shouted back, silencing a stunned Kyoko.

Kyoko's fingers curled into a tight fist and her voice shook. "What did you say?" she said threateningly.

"If you didn't have a heart, you wouldn't have helped me back there. Making yourself believe something so ridiculous, aren't you just forcing yourself to be lonely?" the shorthaired girl unwaveringly said.

Crimson eyes widened briefly at those words before she looked away, gritting her teeth. "Now who's trying to sound cool?" she bit at the words as if mad that she didn't have anything better to say in response.

Then the atmosphere was broken by Madoka's ringing phone. "Ah, I'm sorry!" Madoka apologized to the whole room, worried she had ruined an important moment. Perhaps she had. "Please excuse me for a minute." The girl bowed politely before stepping out the door to take the call in the hallway. Leaving Kyoko and Sayaka to stew in the awkward atmosphere as a result.

The tension had not left Kyoko's body and she gave the impression of repressing herself from running out of the room herself. Sayaka had the thought that maybe she shouldn't have said anything. Then she dismissed it. She always was very open about her opinions.

"You don't know anything."

"Hm?" Sayaka leaned forward, not quite catching what was said.

"I said you don't know _shit_." Kyoko growled at her, making Sayaka flinch back. The hostility in those red eyes being directed at her was unmistakable and Sayaka felt the prickle of nervousness on her neck. "Your superiority is pissing me off." The wooden sticks in Kyoko's hand looked about ready to snap inside of her grip.

"Yeah, I stole food from you. So the hell what? I could have been a hell of a lot worse, selling my body, doing drugs, or any number of things. So I'm tired of you looking down on me like I'm the scum of the earth when you've never been down here yourself!" Kyoko's words were chilly with venom and left Sayaka reeling from such intensity.

"I," to her surprise, Sayaka's voice came out hoarse and she paused to take a deep breath. "I'm sorry. That wasn't my intention." she apologized softly. The girl across from her chuckled humorlessly.

"And what, pray tell, was your intention?"

A silence fell upon the pair as the blunette quietly considered Kyoko's question. When she reached a conclusion she answered Kyoko's fierce look with one of conviction. "I want you to stay with me, Kyoko."

"Huh?" was Kyoko's thrown off response. For some reason Kyoko wasn't aware of, those words struck a deep chord inside of her conscience and she experienced a rush of feeling she wasn't prepared for.

"Those guys from earlier are after you, right? You aren't safe out there. I'd feel a lot better if I kept an eye on you myself." Sayaka reasoned. Kyoko stared at her incredulously.

"Are you kidding me?"Kyoko asked when she recovered from her earlier shock. It was clear Sayaka wasn't. Kyoko looked heavenward. "Baby Jesus and Oprah, this chick is for real. She's going to jack off tonight to the idea that she rescued a damsel in distress." Kyoko mock-prayed, much to Sayaka's chagrin.

Suddenly Sayaka snorted in suppressed laughter and Kyoko narrowed her eyes at her questioningly. "I just tried to picture you as a damsel in distress, and I couldn't." Sayaka smiled behind her hand as her imagination converted the rough girl in front of her into a demure and cutesy girl surrounded by too-fluffy paraphernalia. Her attempt to hide her amused grin was unsuccessful.

"Er," Kyoko didn't know whether to be put-off or take the comment as a compliment. "Whatever. I'm just saying that I'm not taking comfort in your charity one bit. I'm not here to satisfy your delusional sense of 'peace of mind'. When I'm done eating, I'm out."

"Charity?" Sayaka scratched at the bandage under her eye, not quite accepting the term. "I wouldn't call it charity. More like… A distraction?"

"Distraction?" Her eyes demanded Sayaka explain.

Sayaka suddenly appeared shy and looked down at her hands as she blushed the pretty pink of a girl in love. "When you're here, I feel like I can forget about my own issues," she self-consciously tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Or something like that?"

Kyoko openly gawked at her. 'D'awww, what the fuck is with this sudden cuteness! And was it always so hot in here?' were her thoughts.

"Why're you drooling? That's disgusting." Sayaka deadpanned when she noticed the other girl's blank stare. Kyoko quickly knuckled the drool off her chin.

"Shut up! Madoka's food is just so freaking delicious, that's all!" Kyoko yelled in embarrassment.

"Geez, is food all you think about?"

"Naturally!" Kyoko noticed Sayaka's untouched plate of food. "Are you gonna eat that?" Her chopsticks were already moving of their own accord toward Sayaka's plate. A different pair of wooden sticks stopped them right when they were about to reach the bowl.

"Hey, that's my food." Sayaka flicked Kyoko's chopsticks away with a flick of her wrist.

"Oh?" Kyoko smirked and went for the food again but Sayaka's chopsticks blocked her own. "You think you can stop me?" Kyoko flicked her chopsticks apart and split apart the opposing sticks, allowing for an opening to reach for the food. However Sayaka managed to close down her own pair onto Kyoko's wrist and changed the direction of her hand. Kyoko's chopsticks missed the bowl by an inch.

"I think you misunderstood me!" Kyoko laughed as she twisted her arm out of Sayaka's chopstick grip. "I take what I want!"

"Not if I'm there to stop you!" Sayaka declared with a smile of her own. Their eating utensils clashed against each other and locked as they tried to overpower each other through sheer hunger!

"Um, what are you two doing?" Madoka asked awkwardly as she stood over them. The pair froze mid-chopstick battle and turned their heads toward Madoka.

The pink-haired girl gestured to her phone. "That was my dad. Apparently my mom got drunk at work and she ordered an entire circus called Walrusburgerz to come to the company. They say there a lot of circus animals running around the city and it's the end of the world as we know!" Madoka explained as she hurriedly started packing up her belongings into her schoolbag. "Or that's the impression I received over the phone."

"Your mom sure loves her job!" Sayaka said with an understanding smile.

"Yeah," Madoka laughed unenthusiastically. "Will you two be," she gestured at them vaguely. "Okay?"

Sayaka and Kyoko glanced at each other warily. "Probably." Sayaka answered.

"Nah." was Kyoko's nonchalant response.

Madoka frowned.

"Promise me you won't fight anymore, okay?" Madoka demanded. The two in bathrobes looked reluctant to tell Madoka that that would be nearly impossible. Madoka's pink eyes widened to impossible sizes as they shone with tears. "Even dogs and cats can get along if they tried!" she sniffled.

"Okay, okay!" Sayaka shielded her eyes and waved her friend away. "We won't fight!"

"Yeah, I'll behave!" Kyoko promised as well.

Madoka looked reassured as she put her shoes on. "Alright, then. Please enjoy the food, Sayaka-chan, Kyoko-chan!" Madoka bowed quickly before she ducked out the door.

"Be careful on your way home!"

"See ya!"

Kyoko and Sayaka stared at the closed door for a moment, now alone with each other.

"So, have you tapped that Madonkadonk yet?" Kyoko asked with a sly fanged grin.

Sayaka turned a blazing eye on her. "You really want me to break that promise so early?" she growled eerily.

"I'm kidding, kidding!" Kyoko held up her hands in surrender. They resumed eating in silence, Kyoko quickly claiming Madoka's portion.

"You never answered my question." Sayaka eventually pointed out.

"Hm?" Kyoko was busy scraping any scraps from her bowl. "You mean the whole staying here bit?" Sayaka nodded. "Ah. Yeah, that's still a 'hell to the no'."

Sayaka frowned in thought. "I'll feed you." she tentatively offered.

Kyoko paused mid-scrape. "I'll take the couch."

Sayaka grinned uncontrollably at how easy that had been, which annoyed Kyoko to great lengths.

"You don't even know me, though. How do you know I won't stab you in your sleep or something?" Kyoko asked with grudging curiosity.

"Oh, ah…" Sayaka scratched at her head. "I guess it's because I saw you naked."

Kyoko slammed her forehead against the table. "What the hell is with this anti-climatic reasoning of yours!" she yelled through gritted teeth.

"Hey!" Sayaka tried to defend her own logic. "If two people see each other naked, it's like they don't have anything to hide from each other, right?"

Kyoko looked pleadingly heavenward again. "Good Lord and Aya Hirano, this chick is just _asking_ for it!"

"Oh, shut up!" the blunette snapped in embarrassment.

"Are we gonna lay bare everything to each other now?" Kyoko tightened her hands around her bathrobe as if protecting herself from the other girl. "So _that's_ why you asked me to stay. You could've just asked!" the redhead said sarcastically. Sayaka fumed to herself as Kyoko laughed it up at her expense. "Well whatever." Kyoko finished laughing and she stood up. She started untying the bathrobe around her waist.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Sayaka exclaimed in alarm and held her hands up over her eyes. Kyoko blinked at the reaction.

"I'm going to change into my clothes." she stated slowly, removing the bathrobe from her shoulders and letting it drop to the ground, leaving her completely naked before Sayaka.

"Here?" Sayaka stammered, glancing at Kyoko before renewing the defense of her innocent eyes.

"Yeah. What's the problem?" Kyoko asked with a raised brow. "Whatever happened to 'I already saw you naked, so we got nothing to hide' stuff you were spewing earlier?" The redhead was obviously beyond amused as she placed her hands on her hips cockily.

"That was in the bath, this is different!" Sayaka claimed, turning increasingly red in the face.

"Oh c'mon, why're you scared for?"

"Scared? Scared! You mean of the girl who mugged me earlier today getting naked right after I asked her to sleep over out of the goodness of my heart? What reason would I have to be scared?" In her exasperation, Sayaka uncovered one of her eyes to glare Kyoko. What she saw was the picture of smugness.

"You're shy." the redhead's sickly sweet voice hit Sayaka's nerve repeatedly.

"What did you say?" Sayaka lowered her hands completely and spoke threateningly.

Kyoko grinned her fanged grin. "_You're. Shy_." she emphasized. The gauntlet was thrown down.

"I'll show you shy!" Sayaka took up the challenge, standing up and removing her own bathrobe with a flourish. And just when the white article of clothing fluttered to the ground the front door opened and Madoka stepped sheepishly through.

"Sorry, I forgot my pho- WHY ARE YOU NAKED!" she shrieked when she spotted the two nude girls staring each other down. Sayaka whirled around and attempted to cover up her vital areas with her two hands.

"Madoka, it's not what it looks like!" she gasped in panic.

"Oh yeah, it's not what it looks like!" Kyoko sidled up behind Sayaka and wrapped her arms around her waist and rested her chin on her shoulder. "Sayaka here just _begged_ me to distract her and make her forget all about Kachijou!" she said with a wink as the girl in her arms froze up like a statue.

"Kamijou." she corrected with a growl. "And I never said that! Well, not in that context!"

Madoka had her eyes shut tight and was feeling around for her phone with her hands. "Don't mind me, I'll just be out of your way in a second!"

Her hand closed around her phone and she exhaled in relief, whirled around and tried to sprint for the door. However she missed by a foot and ran into the wall instead. "I'm okay! I was never here!" she cried in a muffled voice. Her hands finally found the door and she managed to hurriedly make her way out.

Sayaka was shaking with suppressed rage as Kyoko busted out in laughter.

"Oh my god, did you see the look on her face?" Tears were being squeezed from her eyes as she buried her face in Sayaka's shoulder and clung to her for dear life. "I haven't had a good laugh in a while!"

"**Kyoko**." Sayaka's voice rumbled.

"Eh?" Kyoko lifted her head up in time to see murderous rage rolling off Sayaka in waves.

"**What color**…" Sayaka slowly turned her head to reveal her shadowed face. "**What color**…" Kyoko was only able to clearly see the deranged smile on her face. "**WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BLOOD?" **

Kyoko quickly jumped away when Sayaka grabbed for her, a breathless smile of excitement on her face. "Hell yes, naked wrestling!" she exclaimed just before an elbow was jabbed into her windpipe.

"Die, pervy-scurvy one-touchy!"

* * *

><p>AN- Hey, there had to be naked wrestling some time in the story! Also, I referenced a couple of anime there at the end, extra points if ya know 'em!


	4. I never asked anyone for help

**CH.4**

"Finally, she's asleep." Kyoko murmured to herself after insistently poking at Sayaka's cheek. The shorthaired girl was currently sitting asleep next to her on the couch with a wireless game controller grasped limply in her hands. She had fallen to slumber after playing against Kyoko for literally hours into the night. Sayaka had obviously been determined to make sure Kyoko fell asleep first, but Kyoko was a night person, so she had eventually lost the battle to keep her eyes open and slipped into unconsciousness.

It was now the early hours of the morning, still dark with the sun not due to make an appearance on the eastern horizon for a few more hours. For the heck of it, Kyoko made sure to beat the crap out of Sayaka's character on the wall projection screen and kill them repeatedly for good measure before setting down the controller with a satisfied smile. She left the score board on the screen to ensure it was the first thing Sayaka saw when she woke up. Cheating had a guarantee of pushing a button somewhere in the girl.

"My parting gift to you." Kyoko got up from her seat and reached for the ceiling as she stretched her entire body. She had changed back into her original outfit after the whole naked wrestling incident. Actually it wasn't much of a wrestling match as much as it was Sayaka trying to fight seriously and Kyoko laughing her ass off and continually going for the breasts. Sayaka eventually gave up out of extreme aggravation.

Kyoko grinned to herself at the memory as she zipped up her jacket and made her way to the door. Opening it, she glanced behind her as she put on her boots that were tucked neatly together next to the door. "It was fun. See ya, Sayaka." Kyoko waved indifferently behind her as she exited the apartment.

Stepping into the elevator, she buried her hands deeply into her pockets as she waited for the smooth glide to stop on the ground floor. As she waited the homeless girl's face seemed to steel itself and her feet constantly shifted restlessly. When the doors soundlessly opened Kyoko darted out as soon as it opened far enough and her feet moved quickly for the lobby doors, which opened when she triggered its motion sensor.

The night air enveloped her flying form and she instantly felt more confident being in the open space. However, she knew she needed to move fast to a different location since out of the corner of her eye Kyoko already spotted the silhouettes of several people running after her as soon as she left the building.

'Damn it, I _knew _there was no way we weren't followed here!' Kyoko thought in exasperation. One thing was certain, she had to move as far away from Sayaka's place as possible before these guys caught up to her. Nonetheless, Kyoko couldn't help feeling exhilarated as she ran through the empty and quiet streets of Mitakihara, blood rushing through her body as her legs made her fly seemingly without effort, the cool night air fueling her lungs. Sitting still too long made her feel as if she was rotting, but this was her element.

"You're running like a coward, Kyoko!" a voice snarled breathlessly behind her and she was reminded of the danger she was in.

"Would you feel more motivated if you pretended I was an underage boy, Ryu?" Kyoko hollered over her shoulder as she continued to outrun the gang.

"I could be mistaken with your figure!"

"Asshole." Kyoko grunted at the insult. It was the jacket! With that annoyed thought in mind, she decided that she had run far enough and that she should conserve her energy for the struggle that was sure to ensue.

It was in the middle of a park where the pursued girl skidded to a halt and whirled to face her chasers head-on. With a grin that bared her fangs she took a breath that filled her chest. "FUCK YOU!" she bellowed as her battle cry of choice. It took a minute but she was eventually surrounded by several young men in various stages of exhaustion, most of them fighting for breath as they regarded her with scorn.

"What's the matter?" Kyoko asked disdainfully. "Too busy smoking pot to keep up?"

"Shut the hell up!" Ryu spat at her. He straightened up and scowled at her, probably around a head taller than she was. Kyoko let her hate for the guy bubble up into her scornful gaze as she stared back at him. This guy had a history of messing with her this past year.

Since she was a loner on the street he viewed her as an easy target and an object to be toyed with. Some of the things he'd done to her in the past would be to steal her food, forcibly steal her clothes off her back in public places for laughs, or report her to the police and force her into hiding. But mostly beatings. Whenever they managed to corner her, it usually resulted in several pairs of fists and legs flying at her body, with Ryu never getting his own hands dirty. They were a pain in her ass and she wanted it to end. Today she would end it.

In all honesty Kyoko wasn't exactly sure why she decided today was the day she would kick this guy's ass. Maybe it was because her belly was full. She would never concede that it had anything to do with the girl she met today. Because that would be sentimental and utterly full of bullshit, according to Kyoko's thought process.

"I have something I want to say to you." came the dangerously ominous voice from the redhead. Now, Kyoko was always one to own up to her feelings, so it was about time she owned up to some very serious feelings she was having here. "I just wanted to thank you for very kindly coming to me to save me the trouble of hunting you down, Ryu."

"Didn't I tell you to shut the hell up!" he roared in a rage. He motioned angrily for his cohorts to grab her and they eagerly moved to do just that. They grabbed Kyoko's arms and held her with her arms held out at either side of her.

"Not man enough to handle me by yourself?" Kyoko taunted, resisting the urge to wince at the tight grips on her arms. "I always knew you were just a pussy hiding behind his minions!"

The sneer on Ryu's face turned dangerous. "The hell you say to me?"

Kyoko smirked, knowing she had him. "You heard me, pussy."

Ryu literally growled like a dog. "Let this bitch go. Looks like I gotta teach her a lesson personally." he confidently cracked his knuckles. Just because he let his cronies do most of the work, he was not a pushover. He had a tall and muscular frame that looked like he could easily handle a girl a head shorter than he was. His skin was a tough guy's tan color, but the clothes on his back always looked pricey.

The guys holding her chuckled before releasing her. Kyoko disregarded them like the small fry they were and rolled her shoulders to loosen herself up. "Don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because you're a pussy. Pussies were made to take a good pounding, right?" Kyoko declared loudly, confidence dripping from her tone. A confidence seemingly unfounded when the guy she was facing had about a hundred pounds on her slender frame.

"I think I'm going to enjoy this." Ryu sniggered.

"When I win, I don't want to see your ugly ass face again. Got it?" Kyoko said.

"When I win, I'll just do whatever the hell I want with you. How's that?" Ryu responded, holding his fists up in preparation of a beat down. He didn't waste any time either, running straight for Kyoko without warning. Kyoko obliged him and ran at him with a yell of her own and their fists flew.

It was a straight-out slug fest from the beginning as they got into each other's personal space and threw their whole strength behind their fists. Kyoko had to mostly duck and weave under out of Ryu's long reach to rain blows on his body with quick rabbit punches to vital areas. Ryu's punches were slower but packed more power. He didn't even bother protecting himself from Kyoko's attacks as if to prove he was unaffected when he clearly was.

At one point the redhead attempted to knee Ryu between the legs, but he stepped back, hyper aware of that weak spot, and cracked his fist against her face. She took the full force of it on one side of her face, thinking briefly that his fist must have been the size of her head and she staggered backwards trying to regain her footing. But Ryu pushed his advantage and pulled back his opposite fist and smashed her across the other side of her face. He followed through with his full reach and she was knocked to the ground, completely disoriented as her vision fluctuated.

His massive fist grabbed her by the front of her sweater and lifted her into the air. She gasped in his grip and dug her nails deep into his arm but he didn't release her. Instead he pulled her up close to his face and smiled that grotesque smile that she hated so much. "Give up yet?"

Kyoko managed to laugh slightly. "Nah. Want some?" Unexpectedly she forced something into Ryu's smiling mouth with a quick move of her hand. Caught off guard, Ryu automatically swallowed whatever she forced into his throat.

His eyes looked at Kyoko in brief bewilderment, then anger. "What the hell did you…" He didn't finish his sentence as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his grip on Kyoko's clothes slacked significantly. She landed on her feet when he dropped her and the tall man limply toppled over into the dirt.

"Haha." Kyoko half-laughed in satisfaction, briefly wiping the blood trickling from her nose and lip. The item that she had popped into Ryu's mouth had been the pill filled with nano-bots Madoka had given her earlier in the day. She knew she had about ten or fifteen seconds until Ryu was roused feeling pain-free, so she got to work quickly.

Ryu's buddies were visibly confused when their leader suddenly collapsed and watched in uncertainty as the girl walked up to his prone body and started stomping on his unprotected crotch.

"Try, growing, this, back!" Kyoko grunted as she put her full weight into her kicks. The guys around her cringed and groaned in sympathy, unconsciously protecting themselves, but unable to look away from the merciless assault on the unconscious body.

Ryu's eyes eventually fluttered open in confusion. He blinked as feeling slowly registered in his brain. It didn't take long for tears to gather in his eyes and high-pitched shrieking to flee his lips as pure agony centered on his groin registered. But he couldn't move because Kyoko was currently sitting on his chest and smiling cruelly down at him. "I think I just did this world a huge favor." she said. She connected both of her hands to make a single fist and rose them above her head before bringing them down hard right on the spot she had butted him with the gun earlier that day. The bigger man was instantly knocked out once again.

The five remaining guys surrounding the area gaped in disbelief at the girl straightening up off their leader's body. The redhead put her hands in her pockets and tilted her head over her shoulder to show off her canines at them. "Who's next?"

The disbelief was quickly replaced by anger and indignation. The four remaining looked like different varieties of Ryu himself, and they grit their teeth and clenched their fists as she grinned at them. Taking the initiative to avenge their fallen member they launched themselves at Kyoko from all sides. Kyoko met them head-on, knowing there was no way she could come away from this unscathed but couldn't help the adrenalin singing through her veins in thrill.

Seemingly out of the blue someone dropped down from somewhere above and landed feet-first on top of the guy Kyoko was about to punch in the face. Kyoko paused and stumbled, deflecting her aim from the dark figure that had suddenly appeared. "What the hell?" The girl that was now standing on top of a prone body flicked her long black hair to the side before stepping off and backing up to Kyoko with her fists up. The other guys paused as well to eye this sudden new threat.

"Taking on five to one isn't very smart of you, Kyoko Sakura." she stated emotionlessly.

"You? What the hell are you doing here?" Kyoko asked in bewilderment, recognizing the girl standing at her back.

"I think we have more pressing things to worry about." the raven haired girl stated as the gang around them renewed their charge with renewed anger. She quickly bent down to pick up a large rock by her feet and used it as a weapon, pounding the rock into the skull of the first guy that tried to take a swing at her.

Kyoko didn't have the time to protest the unwanted assistance because she had to defend herself against men fighting viciously with their remaining pride on the line. Being beaten by a couple of teenage girls wasn't exactly their ideal night. Now with backup Kyoko was free to crush noses and nuts to her content. The two of them together made quick work of the small time gang, and their bodies were now strewn about them, either unconscious or groaning in pain.

"Mind telling me why you stepped in, Homerun?" Kyoko asked after she got her breathing under control. She rubbed at her now raw knuckles and winced.

The rock the other girl had used on her victims dropped indifferently from her hands. "If there's one thing I hate, it's repeating myself. If you call me 'Homerun' one more time, I'll make sure no one finds your body." Homura said, tone just barely betraying her annoyance at the nickname. She pulled out a pair of red glasses from a pocket and slid them onto her face before she shot Kyoko a look with her piercing violet gaze.

The redhead rubbed the blood from her hands on the grass. "My bad, Homerun." The glasses-wearing mystery didn't intimidate her.

They vaguely knew each other from the streets, the dark haired girl occasionally appearing off and on for no explicable reason. One day she offered Kyoko some food and introduced herself to the skeptical Kyoko. The homeless girl had misheard the introduction and repeated the word 'homerun?' with a bemused look on her face. Homura had corrected her, but it was already too late and the unwanted nickname stuck in Kyoko's mind. They've talked occasionally, but Kyoko mostly tolerated the other girl's presence because she usually got a box of pocky for her efforts.

"I've already alerted the police before I intervened. They should be here shortly to pick these guys up for disturbing the peace." said Homura in an impassive voice. Kyoko was reminded that Homura had a seemingly pokerfaced way of interacting with her, never giving too much away. To others her manner may come across as overly serious or intimidating.

"So, what are you doing out here?" Kyoko inquired, seeking conversation to distract her from the throbbing pain in her face and knuckles.

Homura turned away from Kyoko and walked away at a brisk pace without checking to see if the redhead was following. "Walpurgisnacht has invaded the city. I've been asked to assist with damage control and have been securing runaway creatures in this city sector," Homura explained at an even pitch.

Kyoko half-jogged to catch up with her and listened absentmindedly. "Ah, I think Madoka mentioned something about that earlier. Whatsitcalled is a circus or something, right?" Emotion flickered across Homura's face at the mention of Madoka's name.

"Yes, Madoka asked me to help." Homura kept her voice cool while gauging Kyoko's expression from the corner of her eye.

"You know Madoka? Small world." was the extent of Kyoko's unperturbed response. Homura appeared satisfied with the reaction and continued leading her companion out of the park.

"I've managed to secure one item and am currently in pursuit of an elusive target." Homura relayed, stopping at a bench at the entrance of the park. Kyoko stopped next to Homura and stared blankly at the small goat tied to the bench, munching on grass. The goat had been dyed a bright neon green color.

"Um," Kyoko wasn't normally at a loss for words. "There's a green goat tied to the bench."

"Indeed." Homura said dryly. "In exchange for my helping you,"

"I never asked anyone for help, why won't people understand this?"

"Watch my goat while I track down Walpurgisnacht's mascot animal, code named 'Kyubey'. Very rare and smart creature. A pain to catch." Homura was already walking away, her mission issued, and her own waiting to be fulfilled.

"Hey, I'm not babysitting your stinkin' goat!" Kyoko yelled. With a sigh, the dark figure pulled something out of her pocket and tossed a box of pocky over her shoulder. Kyoko caught it automatically.

"I'll be back soon. Probably." Homura stated the last word under her breath. However, she had no more time to spare when she spotted a white bushy tail disappearing across the street. With that she took off with her target in sight, disregarding the raging girl behind her.

"You think this is compensation? Hey! Damn it, she's already gone." Kyoko paced in discontent, tempted to just walk away. With a groan she sat herself down on the bench and ripped open the box of pocky. Shoving one in her mouth she bit down and winced. Apparently the inside of her mouth was bleeding a little and her lip was cut. She couldn't even eat in peace! "Damn that shit stain Ryu. I hope he feels that for the rest of his life." she grumbled.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed the goat's even gaze on her. They stared at each other for a minute. Kyoko sighed and relented, holding out the box of pocky to the green goat. "Want some?"

The goat regarded the box being offered to it with dull interest. It didn't stop it from opening its mouth and chomping down on the entire contents of the box, much to the girl's horrified expression.

"Wha-My-Why-" Kyoko spluttered in disbelief that her candy had disappeared before her eyes before she had had a chance to enjoy it herself. She threw the box at the goat and it bonked off the goat's head. The creature protested the treatment with an indignant 'Baa!'

"Son of a motherless goat!" Kyoko exclaimed in distress. Just what she needed to top off her day. A glow-in-the-dark goat. "Frigging Homerun." the redhead grumbled, slumping down on the bench tiredly. "Frigging Ryu." She paused as she considered the last person. " Frigging Sayaka…"

Somehow, with the her nose and hands buried in the warmth of her light green sweater, a goat next to her, a fallen gang behind her, and a wayward ally chasing down something god knows where, Kyoko was able to comfortably doze off on that bench like an old pro. And she was content.

* * *

><p>Sayaka was in the midst of a strange dream. In it she was swimming around as a fish when she was suddenly speared through the middle. With a jolt and a sharp intake of breath she found herself sitting upright on the couch with the game controller still in her grasp. The first thing she saw was the score board of the game Kyoko and she had been playing last night projected onto the wall screen.<p>

On screen Sayaka's character 'Caped Idiot', apparently lost an overwhelming defeat against Kyoko's character 'Food Dumpster'. (They had chosen each other's screen names, clearly enough). An eyebrow twitched in annoyance at the blatant jab at her. The second thing she noticed was the fact that Kyoko was not there.

"Kyoko?" It didn't take long to establish that her two bedroom one bath apartment only had herself as its current occupant. Sayaka stood alone amongst her furniture, not feeling as surprised as she maybe should have been. Only the rush of irritation at the thought the redhead had taken off in the dead of night, maybe into the clutches of dangerous people.

"That _idiot_." Sayaka hissed as she threw on a tee-shirt and jeans, combed her fingers through her short hair and quickly left the oppressing emptiness of her home. She rushed down the hallway and urgently pushed the elevator button. When it didn't show up immediately Sayaka took off for the stairs impatiently, flying down the floors with a single goal in mind- to find Kyoko before anybody else did.

When she dashed into the early Sunday morning air was when she realized she had absolutely no idea where she could possibly find the runaway girl. First of all, her head start could be from a few short minutes to possibly hours. Second of all, she never indicated to Sayaka any clue as to where she could go. With nothing to go on, Sayaka decided to try the street they had first encountered each other.

Calling out her name also seemed like a viable option. "KYOKO! KYOKO!" No wait, if she left without telling her, then she probably wouldn't answer her back. Actually, maybe she would. She'd probably be mad and come straight for Sayaka. In that case… "KYOKO SAKURA! GET YOUR BUTT BACK HERE!"

She spent the next hour jogging up and down the street where she was first mugged, then tried to retrace their path from memory. She didn't have much success in that area since at the time she was merely focused on catching up to the elusive thief and less to her surroundings. Frustrated when her search ended up fruitless, Sayaka randomly jogged down streets asking random people if they've seen Kyoko. No dice.

"Mitakihara is much bigger than I realized." Sayaka said under her breath, finally walking tiredly through one of the city's many parks. "At this rate, I'll never find her. Heck, it's probably impossible to run into anyone I know!" she said, considering the distance she had covered in a couple of hours.

"Sayaka?"

The blunette stiffened in her tracks at the voice. Her breath shortened and her heart took off at this unexpected encounter. Turning around she saw the last two people she wanted to see at the moment.

"I knew it was you," Kyosuke greeted with a friendly smile. "Taking an early morning stroll too?" The girl next to him was too late in releasing Kyosuke's hand. Sayaka couldn't help her eyes lingering in the space where their hands had been clasped together. Hitomi's hands dropped to her sides guiltily.

Sayaka swallowed and let an uneasy grin slip onto her face. "Hey," she breathed. "Kyosuke. Hitomi." she nodded in acknowledgment.

"Good morning, Sayaka." Hitomi was trying to catch Sayaka's fleeting gaze but the blunette could barely look at her green-haired friend.

The boy failed to realize the tense atmosphere he had strolled them into. "We were just going to get some breakfast. Would you care to join us?" Sayaka's childhood friend offered cordially.

"No, no thanks." Sayaka was quick to decline, already fighting the urge to run away and set something on fire. She finally caught Hitomi's searching eyes. "Three's a crowd, after all." she said, offering her friend a strained smile. "Besides, I was in the middle of doing… something." Sayaka forgot what she had been doing for a second.

"Oh? That's a shame." Kyosuke looked genuinely disappointed. At this point Sayaka could barely face him. This was the last place she wanted to be. Her shirt collar was starting to feel really itchy and she was swallowing way too much.

"Yeah. It's a real shame." Sayaka left without further prompt. She tried to walk away quickly without seeming like she was walking away too quickly and she probably had a less than dignified exit than she was hoping for. Not that she cared how she looked at the moment.

"Sayaka, wait." A hand grasped Sayaka's sleeve to gently hold her in place. The blunette reluctantly tilted her head slightly to look at Hitomi from the corner of her eye.

"What?" she asked quietly.

Hitomi's look was one of patience and concern. "Look, Sayaka, I've asked you repeatedly in the past if you liked Kamijou and you always denied it. I let you know immediately when we went on that first date yesterday. I want you to know that since I respect our friendship, if you're not okay with this I'll end it." she offered, searching Sayaka's gaze.

Sayaka could hear the sincerity in her friend's voice, but also the trace of sadness at the prospect of breaking up with Kyosuke.

"What are you talking about, Hitomi?" Sayaka tried to laugh it off, but she came across as stiff. "I don't have a problem with you. Me and him are just friends, that's it. Nothing more."

Hitomi frowned. "How can you say that when I see the opposite in your eyes every time you look at me?"

"I said I'm fine!" Sayaka snapped, shrugging Hitomi's grasp on her sleeve off. "It's none of my business who he decides to date. I don't care!"

Hitomi's hand lingered in the air before her fingers curled themselves in gently and she lowered her hand to her side in a resigned manner. "Alright." Her level gaze conveyed that she didn't believe her friend for one second. "If that's how you want to play it Sayaka, then I guess I have nothing to apologize for." she said, her voice firm with resolve.

Sayaka's jaw tightened until it was almost painful. She could feel her emotions about to burst forth in an ugly wave and she didn't want to take it out on her kind and beautiful friend. No matter how much she wanted to.

"Oh, by the way," Sayaka spoke up, making Hitomi pause as she was about to go back to Kyosuke. "Have you seen a girl with long red hair with a green jacket? Kinda raggedy looking?"

Hitomi looked thoughtful for a second as she considered the question. "Was there a bright green goat with her?" Hitomi asked. Sayaka blinked at the random question.

"Um, who knows?" Sayaka finally managed to smile in genuine amusement when she tried to picture that combo in her head. However, her smile faded when she spotted Kyosuke coming up behind Hitomi and taking her hand in his.

"I hope you don't mind me stealing Hitomi away now?" Kyosuke joked while smiling down at the green haired girl. Insane jealousy roared through Sayaka's veins and she nodded quickly, mentally pleading with him to leave, to take Hitomi away from her sight and her twitching hands.

Hitomi's eyebrows creased in disappointment at her inability to break through Sayaka's stubborness, but she let herself be led away by Kyosuke's insistent tugging.

Sayaka decided to further torture herself by watching the couple walk away from her hand in hand to have a cute breakfast date. How sweet for them.

Within minutes Sayaka had reduced her knuckles to a raw state as she took out her frustrations against the bark of a nearby tree. When she couldn't hit the tree anymore she started kicking it desperately, eyes empty with misery and pain. 'If only there was some way I could block out this pain...'

"So, that was the guy?" a voice from behind Sayaka startled her out of her pity party. She whirled around to discover Kyoko standing behind her wearing an infuriating smirk.

"You…" Sayaka took pause at the implication that Kyoko had been watching her. "I've been looking for you, and you were just standing by?" she asked angrily.

Kyoko ignored her. "I don't know why you would get so hung-up over such an effeminate looking guy. You should just forget about him." Kyoko's look turned cruel. "But if you really want him than I can help you out."

"What?" Sayaka asked, even if she figured she was being led into a trap.

"March right up to him, and smash his arms and legs until he can never use them anymore." Kyoko suggested pitilessly. Sayaka gasped, truly offended.

"Make him completely helpless." Kyoko continued on, very much aware of the hell she was raising within the girl before her. "Then he'll be completely yours. His mind and his body!" Sayaka trembled with rage. "If you're too shy to do it, I'll be happy to take your place. As a favor for taking me in last night." Kyoko leaned over tauntingly until her face was close to Sayaka's. "It would be _so_ easy."

Hands possessed by fury seized the collar of Kyoko's jacket and pulled her forward. Kyoko kept up her openly mocking grin as eyes burning with righteous vehemence engaged her. 'This right here, this is good.' Kyoko thought, expecting Sayaka to mercilessly take her revenge. 'Better me than the tree.' A chuckle escaped her throat when the blunette didn't immediately hit her, provoking her further. 'I'll make you bleed this anger out on someone who can take it!'

"What happened to your face?" Sayaka asked instead.

"Huh?" Kyoko's harsh look slipped momentarily to be replaced with puzzlement.

"I asked what happened to your face!" Sayaka shook Kyoko slightly in her grasp as she demanded an answer. Both sides of Kyoko's face was bruised as if she'd been pummeled by a gorilla, purple and blue standing out as well as a cut lip.

"That's none of your business." Kyoko's voice hardened to steel at the inquiry, matching Sayaka's gaze with a hostile one of her own. The grip on her jacket tightened, and Kyoko realized her mistake since she had been butting in on Sayaka's business just a moment before. She wouldn't back down now though.

With a growl, Sayaka released Kyoko from her grip, much to the redhead's surprise. "What you just said, it's unforgivable." said Sayaka. "But I'm not going to fight you on uneven ground."

Kyoko's eyebrows rose and she scoffed. "If you think this," she gestured to her face. "means that I won't be able to kick your ass five times over, then maybe I should refresh your memory."

"Oh, I'll beat you alright." Sayaka said with a smirk as an idea popped into her head. "Just not with my fists. C'mon." She started jogging away, indicating Kyoko should follow her. Kyoko stared after Sayaka in annoyance, really fed up with the fact that she was being once again forced into someone else's pace. With a reluctant sigh she jogged to catch up.

To Kyoko's infinite amusement, Sayaka led her to a nearby arcade. A minute later a smile was fighting its way onto her lips, because Sayaka had led her straight to the _Dog Drug Reinforcement _game. "Oh, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into." Kyoko said with a low patronizing laugh.

Sayaka glared her while fishing coins from her pocket. "Shut up and get on the dance platform!" she growled. Kyoko happily obliged, eager to show off her skills and kick some ass while she was at it. Sayaka set the game to Battle Mode and joined her soon after. Some upbeat song that was the theme of some magical girl show started playing.

"Hate to break it to you, but I'm actually one of the best DDR players in the city." Kyoko gloated just as the arrows on the acrylic monitor before them started scrolling.

"Oh?" Sayaka appeared unfazed by the declaration, stepping on the arrows indicated.

As the game progressed, Kyoko was actually caught off guard at the skill and ease Sayaka handled the game. 'Damn it, she's actually a challenge!'

"I hate to break it to _you_, Kyoko," Sayaka spoke up a few moments before the song finished. "But I'm actually _the_ best player in the city."

Kyoko's mouth dropped opened in shock when their scores appeared on the screen. A 'Perfect!' score was Kyoko's result. However, a rare 'Marvelous' was hanging in front of Sayaka's smug figure.

Kyoko cocked her head curiously at the short haired girl. "What level is this on?" she inquired.

"Expert." Sayaka answered. Kyoko considered her for a moment before an excited grin broke through.

"Why don't we take this to the next level?"

"It's your funeral." Sayaka said as she adjusted the level of difficulty to the highest possible.

"I just underestimated you, that's all. Now I'm ready!" Kyoko was still brimming with confidence.

"We'll see about that." Sayaka wondered how long that would last.

Sayaka: 1

Kyoko: 0

…

Sayaka grinned triumphantly at her latest win. Kyoko merely scoffed. "That was just a warm-up. I'm serious now."

Sayaka: 2

Kyoko: 0

...

Sayaka's score dominated the screen once more.

Kyoko would not admit defeat. "You've proven yourself to me. I guess it's time for me to bring out _that_!"

"Bring out all you want, you're still going to lose." Sayaka deadpanned.

Sayaka: 3

Kyoko: 0

…

Kyoko grit her teeth in irritation when she lost again. She turned to Sayaka indignantly. "You know what; you're not taking this seriously. If you're not serious, then I can't bring out my full power!" Kyoko claimed.

"Just admit you're beat!" Sayaka said with a frustrated glare at the redhead.

"This next game we'll both go all out. No holding back!" Kyoko said with an accusing finger pointed at Sayaka. The blunette rolled her eyes.

Sayaka: 5

Kyoko: 0

…

A group of people had started gathering around the dancing duo. Some cheered when Sayaka beat Kyoko for the seventh time in a row. Some pointed at Sayaka and whispered, "Hey, look! It's the girl who's held the DDR high score for the last three years!"

Kyoko narrowed her eyes in annoyance at the whispers. She was loath to admit, but she's heard rumors of this 'legendary girl'. She never imagined that it would be this idiot.

"Don't get so full of yourself, Sayaka. The underdog always pulls through in the end!"

"Oh, so you're finally admitting you're the underdog here!" Sayaka laughed. Kyoko glowered at her.

Sayaka: 7

Kyoko: 0

…

"You're cheating, aren't you?" Kyoko accused immediately after her newest lost.

"How the hell can I cheat at DDR?'!" Sayaka exclaimed indignantly.

"Shut up! I'm not going to lose again!"

Sayaka: 13

Kyoko: 0

…

"This game is broken. _Fuck this game_." Kyoko snarled, kicking the dance platform as if it would suddenly correct its wrong ways. Their small audience 'booed' at her attitude.

Sayaka sighed tiredly. "Just give up already, will you?"

Sayaka: 21

Kyoko: 0

…

Kyoko stared blankly at the scores displayed side-by-side on the monitor. The scores were tied.

The redhead whirled on Sayaka and tackled her off the platform in a sudden fit of rage while screaming: "How dare you go easy on me just now!" The tangled pair landed in the gathered crowd, making people scream in alarm when others were pushed over in the face of the pair's violent roll on the floor.

The two girls were promptly kicked out of the arcade. Literally.

People walking on the sidewalk had to avoid or step over the two girls lying side-by-side on the pavement. Their eyes stared aimlessly at the blue sky, not caring about the strange looks they were receiving.

Sayaka moved her head to the side to look at Kyoko's face. The redhead was pouting. "Pfft," sound escaped Sayaka's lips. Kyoko shot the blunette a withering glare, daring her to make that noise again. "Pffft!" Sayaka's cheeks puffed up and she bit her lips in a futile attempt to hold in her amusement. The term 'sore loser' flitted through her head, forever now associating the term with Kyoko's pouting face and she couldn't hold in the laughter any longer.

Kyoko's eyebrow twitched when her glare had no effect on the shorthaired girl. She resisted the urge to strangle her, but stayed her hand at Sayaka's careless laugh. It appeared that Kyoko had been able to bleed out Sayaka's anger through all those losses.

'Somehow…' Kyoko sighed, sitting up. She held out a hand to Sayaka, whose bouts of laughing fits were lessening to giggles. Sayaka ignored the offered hand and managed to get up by herself.

Smiling despite herself, Sayaka regarded Kyoko. 'This is it.' Sayaka thought as Kyoko lifted an eyebrow at Sayaka's staring. 'This girl is the block to my feelings regarding Kyosuke and Hitomi…'

"What?" Kyoko snapped, unnerved by Sayaka's intent look.

"I was right. You make a good distraction."

Kyoko let out an exhale of aggravation. "So I'm just the 'distraction' now? How about this, I distract you with a fist to your face?" Kyoko suggested quite seriously.

"It looks like you took a few of those last night." Sayaka pointed out.

"Garbage trucks, Sayaka." Kyoko smirked. Sayaka frowned at her, clearly dissatisfied by that answer.

"Let's go home." said the younger of the two.

Kyoko blinked. "Home?"

"Yeah, home. We need to get you cleaned up. And you're probably hungry, right?"

"About that," Kyoko muttered, about to let Sayaka know that she had no intention of going back. That she had taken care of Ryu and had no need for shelter or 'getting cleaned up' at Sayaka's apartment.

"What?" Sayaka prompted.

"Um," 'C'mon, say it! Let her have it!' Kyoko's mind raged at her. "Never mind."

Kyoko kicked herself over her inability to tell Sayaka it wasn't necessary for her to stay over anymore all the way back to the apartment.

* * *

><p>Homura approached the park bench where the green goat was tied up looking worse for wear. In her grasp she had a strange white ferret-cat like creature, Kyubey, hanging by the scruff of his neck, knocked out. Homura wasn't exactly proud of herself, but she had had to throw a series of rocks at the elusive circus mascot to finally render it unconscious.<p>

She wasn't surprised to find the bench empty of the homeless girl. It had been hours since Homura had taken off, after all. She noticed a candy wrapper pinned to the goat's collar with some chicken scratch on it. Adjusting the glasses on her nose, she read the tiny note.

It read "_You owe me more pocky!" _in scrawled letters. The corner of Homura's mouth quirked upward.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**- Hmm, I think this story is going to be longer than I had first anticipated. I'm determined to keep Sayaka relatively in character, and she's going to be a tough nut to crack. But I guess that's what makes it interesting.

Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten so far! They're my happy pills, and they drag me back kicking and screaming to the keyboard.


	5. I guess I'm just stupid

**CH. 5**

The walk back to the apartment was spent quietly for the most part. Kyoko was busy mulling over her inability to relieve Sayaka of her 'knight' duties since she took care of Ryu herself. She eventually chalked it up to wanting to be fed home cooked food once more. Not that Sayaka had demonstrated any sort of skill in the 'home cooked meal' department.

Because of the lack of conversation on Kyoko's part and her amusement of the situation fading away, Sayaka ultimately went back to brooding silently. The encounter she had with Hitomi and Kyosuke rolled around her mind like a bowling ball. And thinking about that led her to thinking about Kyoko and what she had said after the encounter.

'March right up to him, and smash his arms and legs until he can never use them anymore. Make him completely helpless. Then he'll be completely yours. His mind and his body!'Kyoko had said, aiming an arrow right into the chink of Sayaka's armor.

Something about the whole situation just nagged at Sayaka. Despite her attempts at having some semblance of control over her life, it seems as if her whole world keeps moving on without her. Between Hitomi, Kyosuke and Kyoko, the illusion of control she maintained was just that- an illusion. And Sayaka hated the feeling.

Kyoko herself was enough to occupy her mind with troubling thoughts. Kyoko mysteriously leaving in the night, the bruises on her face, watching her, then showing up to say such… _disgusting_ things about Kyosuke. Sayaka wondered why she even bothered inviting Kyoko back to her apartment if she obviously wasn't going to stay put and behave.

"Hey, Kyoko?"

"Yeah?" Kyoko was jolted from her thoughts when Sayaka spoke to her for the first time since they started walking.

Sayaka seemed to hesitate, chewing over the thoughts she wanted to express. "You ever get the feeling that we've… met before?" she finally asked.

Kyoko raised an eyebrow at the question. That came out of nowhere. "I seriously doubt it." she answered. "Why?"

Sayaka shrugged. "I'm not really sure myself. I guess something about you just seems familiar. Nostalgic, you know?" she sighed. "But I guess it's just me."

Kyoko ran a thumb over a sore knuckle thoughtfully. Now that Sayaka mentioned it, she kind of understood where she was coming from. This morning she found herself wandering back to Sayaka's apartment after a short nap, and then deciding to follow Sayaka around like a curious kitten as the blunette hollered her name and ran down streets at random. She had had no initial intention of interfering with Sayaka's amusing search for her, until she watched the blunette struggle with that couple she walked into at the park. The interaction had annoyed Kyoko to no end, and before she knew it she was stepping in. It was… weird. For some reason, she just couldn't leave this idiot alone.

"If we knew each other, maybe it was in a past life. Or from within a dream." Kyoko suggested with mild sarcasm after a few seconds.

"Do you believe in that kind of thing?" Sayaka asked. Kyoko frowned.

"I don't believe in anything in particular. Not anymore."

Sayaka shrugged, considering Kyoko's earlier suggestions. "If we had met in a previous life," Sayaka turned to Kyoko with a slight smile. "I bet we offed each other!" It was meant as a joke, but an unexplained awkward tension was exchanged between the two as they met each other's eyes. They looked away and silence fell between them once more.

It wasn't until they came upon their destination that Sayaka spoke up again. "By the way, Kyoko, I want you to apologize for what you said about Kyosuke." she suggested offhandedly as they entered the lobby of the apartment building.

"Oh?" Kyoko cocked her head to the side. "You mean you want me to apologize for suggesting you break that guy's limbs and make him yours?"

"Yes, that is what I'm saying." Sayaka affirmed.

Kyoko smiled toothily at the slightly shorter girl. "Well, you can kiss my ass."

Sayaka smiled back at her as if unaffected. "So you're not going to take back what you said?" The elevator doors opened to their presence and they stepped inside.

"Nope. Huge sloppy spit-shining kiss right on my ass!" was Kyoko's cheery answer. The door to the elevator slipped closed, sealing the two inside the suspended metal box with an inaudible hiss. It was as if a fuse had been lit after they were blocked from the outside world.

Outwardly the two of them were smiling, but Sayaka's blue eyes were boring into Kyoko, and Kyoko's crimson gaze resolutely refused to let Sayaka cut her down.

"If you insist on being difficult," Sayaka's hand hovered over the panel of floor numbers, Kyoko's eyes following her movements curiously. On the bottom of the panel was a small red Emergency Stop button. Kyoko only had a second to wonder why a modern elevator would have such a button before Sayaka's fingers were upon and the elevator came to an abrupt stop.

"I'm not letting you out of here until you apologize." Sayaka said resolutely.

Kyoko couldn't help grinning at the girl's doggedness. "Oh boy, here we go."

"I'm serious," Sayaka's demeanor conveyed her singled-minded determination to get Kyoko to apologize. "Take back what you said, or I'll never forgive you."

"Like I care if you forgive me!" Kyoko snapped in annoyance. What she wouldn't give to have some food to tear into with her teeth right about now! "You know what, I'm calling bullshit here." The redhead whirled on Sayaka, pinning her with her gaze. "I'm not apologizing for shit unless you," she flicked Sayaka between the eyes. "Fess the hell up!"

"Fess up?" Sayaka stepped away from Kyoko, angry from the turn-about. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"I'm talking about your stupid love drama you got going here!" Kyoko said loudly in frustration. "Fess up that you're in love with this goddamned guy!"

Sayaka felt as if she'd been punched in the chest. "That isn't any of your business." her voice lowered coldly. Kyoko barked out a mock laugh.

"When you're forcing me to be some kind of distraction from your bullshit, it kinda becomes my business, doesn't it?" Sayaka averted her gaze at that point. "Don't you owe me at least a sypnosis on what the hell I'm supposed to be distracting you from?" Kyoko was obviously irritated and exasperated with this role she had been placed in. She waited for Sayaka to say something, and when she didn't she tried another tactic. "Well, your so-called 'distraction' doesn't want to be a distraction anymore." Kyoko challenged. "What do you think about them apples?"

"Then what are you going to be then?" Sayaka yelled. "Get bumped to 'pain in my butt'?" she asked sarcastically. Kyoko's confirming smirk made her falter a bit.

"I think I'll be exactly that." She shrugged noncommittally. "It's what I'm best at."

Sayaka was fuming. She had wanted Kyoko to apologize, not have her feelings put on the spot! It felt as if Kyoko was poking at a tightly compressed bundle of emotions that threatened to explode at any time. The space in the elevator suddenly felt too confining and without meaning to, Sayaka glanced at the red Emergency Stop button longingly. Kyoko caught the glance.

"You're not running away now, are you?"

"Shut up, Kyoko!" Sayaka lashed out vocally. "I'm not running away! You're the one trying to get out of this situation!"

"A situation you put me in, dumbass!" Kyoko slapped a hand against the reflective metal elevator doors. "'Distraction' my ass! That's something for cowards! And if there's one thing I've figured out about you, it's that you're _not_ a coward!" The redhead jabbed her finger in Sayaka's direction. "Now answer my fucking question, Sayaka. _Do you love this guy_?"

Sayaka's fists clenched as the pressure mounted on her emotions. Kyoko was bearing down on her and with nowhere to run or hide or pretend, Sayaka was at a sudden loss.

'Why not?' Sayaka thought to herself sourly. 'I'm in a box cut off from the outside world with a girl I barely know. Yet she's pinned me so easily.' Sayaka's blues stared back at Kyoko as her fists slowly unclenched. 'I'm pathetic.'

"Yes." the word slipped by Sayaka's lips in a barely audible whisper. Staring at the ground, Sayaka finally admitted her feelings out loud to the world with great difficulty. "Yeah, I love him. I love him so much I think I'm going to die every time I think about him." Her own hands came up to cup her elbows in a futile attempt at holding herself together. "I love my friend Hitomi too, but I can't help feeling like she stole him from me even though she didn't. I actually regretted being friends with her. I'm a horrible friend, and she's done nothing but try to make this easy on me. I'm so jealous I want to punch something." Her voice broke audibly and she was staring so intensely at the floor that her vision began to blur.

"It's not fair. I loved him first. It's not fair!" Try as she might to prevent it, the tears overflowed her eyes and slid down her cheeks. "I'm a horrible person! I just want them to be happy, but I don't want them to be happy with each other! How can I ever look at them again without feeling like the scum of the earth?" Droplets of salt water splattered softly onto her shoes. "I don't deserve either of them! They don't need a friend like me who can't even be supportive! This sucks! This hurts!"

The condensed bundle of feelings in her heart had succumbed to the pressure and splattered her insides, painting her in her own feelings for the world to see, begging for attention after so much time being ignored. But the world would not witness her exposed grief. Just one still Kyoko, who quietly watched Sayaka choke through her admission.

Kyoko certainly hadn't expected Sayaka to cry. She had been ready to beat the information out of Sayaka, not for the girl to let Kyoko know just much she was suffering underneath everything. Kyoko had been watching Sayaka cry, dumbfounded and suddenly unsure of herself in the face of such vulnerability. She sure as hell she couldn't punch Sayaka back to normal.

The blunette took a mighty sniff and hid her face behind her arm, as if remembering there was someone watching her. She held up her head. "You got a problem with that?" she raised her voice defiantly with difficulty, still hiding her uncontrollably leaking eyes behind her arm. Seeing Sayaka fighting to maintain her dignity in the middle of a meltdown, Kyoko couldn't help letting out a breath of leniency.

"None."

"Good." Sayaka blindly reached for the button that would renew their ascent. Kyoko stepped forward to help her out and pressed the button for her. The elevator gently whirred as it resumed carrying the two girls.

"By the way," Kyoko started out extremely awkwardly. "I guess I didn't really mean what I said about breaking your boyfriend's limbs and stuff... Sorry." she gave in with embarrassment and a blush. The mumbled apology left a strange aftertaste in her mouth. She made a mental note to not get in the habit of apologizing.

Sayaka nodded, trying not to show her surprise. For a minute there she had forgotten that the apology had been her goal in the first place. "Thanks, Kyoko." she murmured gratefully.

It was only a matter of seconds before the elevator doors parted once more, releasing them to the world once again. There was a small crowd gathered at the doors when they opened, looking impatient that their ride had been delayed. Sayaka lowered her head in embarrassment, trying to hide her red eyes that made it obvious she had been crying. Kyoko noticed and hesitantly took Sayaka by the hand to lead her out of the elevator behind her to block her from view. "You people never heard of stairs before?" she muttered irritably.

Sayaka was blushing extremely hard. Though she wasn't exactly sure why. It could have been from Kyoko taking her hand, her comment to the waiting crowd, or the annoyed stares they were getting. Probably a combination of the three. Either way, Sayaka stuck close to Kyoko's back, accepting the shielding Kyoko provided her to hide herself from the eyes of the world.

Facing Kyoko's back prevented her seeing Kyoko's face, which was also blushing. A couple of people gathered around the elevator doors had smirked at her and given her a thumbs up. Kyoko cluelessly glared at them until it occurred to her that they probably figured the delay had been due to a passionate embrace in the elevator. Her face flared up and she flashed her finger at them before hurrying away with Sayaka in tow.

In no time they were in front of correct door and Kyoko used Sayaka's keys before Sayaka even realized Kyoko had pick pocketed her. She didn't even have time to reprimand the redhead before Kyoko pulled her inside.

"Sit," Kyoko ordered, lightly shoving Sayaka onto the couch. The blunette resisted a moment before complying. Frankly, she was beside herself with embarrassment at her actions now that she had a clear head. Especially the fact that she had broken down in front of _Kyoko_ of all people. 'Why couldn't it have been Madoka?' Sayaka wondered, frustrated with herself. 'Why did it have to be anybody at all?'

Lost in her thoughts, Sayaka hadn't been paying attention to Kyoko's actions. The redhead had headed to the kitchen, grabbed the nearest variety of junk food she could find, and headed back to plop down next to Sayaka on the couch.

"Want one?" Kyoko offered, holding out a bag of Twinkies to the other girl. Sayaka eyed the bag with a wary eye before taking it in her hand. Kyoko focused on her own bag of chips and tore it open eagerly. Sayaka realized with an amused gust of breath that Kyoko was in her own way trying to comfort her. In a moment, Sayaka was chewing gratefully on a mouthful of Twinkie.

Kyoko's eating was noisy so there was a noticeable silence when she paused in her chow down. After gulping down about three mouthfuls worth of chips Kyoko cleared her throat. "If you want my advice,"

"I don't." Sayaka interrupted tersely. Kyoko rolled her eyes.

"Fine, then I'll just talk to myself. It makes no difference to me if you choose to listen or not." Kyoko said unfalteringly. She waited a few seconds to see if Sayaka would refuse. When she stayed silent Kyoko took a deep breath and attempted to choose her words carefully.

"Sometimes life hurts," Kyoko started out thoughtfully, trying to pull her thoughts together in a verbally cohesive way. "And sometimes it's easier to forget. An emotional hurt isn't like a physical one, you know? Physical wounds heal over time. But the more you try to ignore an emotional hurt, the deeper the pain is going to fester." She snapped a chip between her index and thumb, letting the crumbs settle in her palm. "I think that instead of distracting yourself from all this, you should just confront it head-on. Pick a side and fight for it."

Sayaka had been listening intently while trying to maintain an air of disinterest. But what Kyoko had to say resonated within her and it made a lot of sense. "You talk as if you're so much older than me." Sayaka commented quietly. She scrunched up her nose. "It kind of pisses me off."

Kyoko laughed lightly. "No offense, but I don't really understand this love drama crap." She resumed eating and spoke around her chewing. "Not that I can't recognize suffering when I see it. But I don't see the point of breaking down over some guy. You'll get over it eventually, right? You shouldn't make a tragedy out of something that isn't. You'll just make your own life unbearable in the end."

"Like you know tragedy?" Sayaka replied thoughtlessly. She regretted the words when Kyoko shot her a sidelong glance that for a moment reflected real tragedy and real loss. The glance only lasted a second before Kyoko resumed eating without a real response to her comment. Sayaka felt a shiver go through her and instantly felt guilty. She had picked up Kyoko from the streets; of course she had gone through something bad! What did she know? She mentally kicked herself at her tactlessness.

Sayaka looked away from Kyoko and tugged at a hairclip uncertainly. "I guess I'm just stupid." she finally said. Her comment drew Kyoko's curious glance at her again. "Life has been relatively good to me, I suppose. Maybe I've been dulled by my sheltered ways. I imagine lots of people would jump at the chance for a miniscule problem like mine." She bit her bottom lip briefly. "But because of that stupidity, my problems don't feel small to me. To me, it's my whole world. And I think that just makes it suck even more."

Kyoko watched Sayaka from the corner of her eye as the blunette actually opened up to her once more, a small amount of surprise registering on her face. Surprise that Sayaka was smart enough to recognize her own stupidity. That counted for something in Kyoko's book. "The way I see it, you got two choices here. You can either fight for Kassimjo," Sayaka snorted at the name. "Or you can just let it go, and move on. Live for yourself. Or find someone even better!" Kyoko suggested.

Sayaka took a bite out of her Twinkie. "Kyosuke is a prodigy violin player from a rich family who goes to a school for geniuses and will most likely go straight to Carnegie Hall after he graduates."

Kyoko stared blankly at Sayaka before a smirk cracked her façade. "Well, good luck with finding someone better."

A bark of laughter made its way out of Sayaka, but she quickly covered it up with more Twinkie. She smiled despite herself as she chewed. She actually did feel a lot better now that she had talked about it with someone. "Fight or move on…" she murmured to herself, letting the words seep into her mind. 'Maybe breaking down in front of Kyoko wasn't such a bad idea.'

"Hey, Kyoko," Sayaka mumbled in embarrassment, her cheeks warming. "I feel a bit bad about seeing you as just a distraction. That was selfish of me. I shouldn't have just thrown you into this; I should have just dealt with it myself." She stared at her fiddling hands. "So, um, I guess what I'm trying to say is," Sayaka looked over at Kyoko and nearly fell out of her seat. Kyoko had fallen fast asleep, hand buried in her bag of chips and drool dribbling from the side of her mouth.

"Geez! How on earth did you fall asleep so fast? And I was in the middle of apologizing, too." Sayaka grumbled with renewed exasperation. Kyoko mumbled something unintelligibly and shifted her head to the side, making the drool in her mouth pour out more easily onto the couch. Sayaka stared at the unfolding events with a horrified expression. She reached out to shut Kyoko's mouth. A second later she grimaced when she got Kyoko's saliva all over her hand.

With a tired sigh the younger girl started cleaning up. She finished her Twinkie and plucked the bag of chips from Kyoko's hands. Even in sleep, Kyoko resisted having her food taken away from her. After Sayaka wiped her own hands clean she stood over Kyoko with her hands on her hips, pondering how to proceed. She leaned in close to observe the sleeping girl's face. "Wow, she really is knocked out."

The bruises on Kyoko's face abruptly came into focus. Sayaka almost flinched looking at them. Guilt tugged at her chest once more. She had made Kyoko deal with her problems when she obviously had bigger ones of her own. Sayaka also partly blamed herself for the bruises out of a strange sense of responsibility she had towards Kyoko. She should have kept a better eye on her. She could've protected her. Sayaka straightened up and left in search of a remedy. When she returned she held a bruise ointment in her hand and proceeded to apply it to Kyoko's face.

Kyoko initially recoiled from her hand, but eventually started leaning into Sayaka's hand and the soothing feeling it provided. A breath escaped Sayaka's lips. A smile tugged at her lips. A flicker of affection bloomed in her eyes as she gently caressed Kyoko's features. A thumb brushing over the cut on Kyoko's lip. A finger tracing her brow. Kyoko's even breaths and slight nuzzlings into her palm. It was… cute and sweet in a way that soothed Sayaka's frayed nerves and she relaxed into the natural motions.

However, she paused when she realized she had long since finished in applying the ointment to the bruises and retracted her hand after a moment's hesitation. Missing the warmth of Sayaka's hand Kyoko instinctively leaned her head to the side searchingly. She leaned too far to the side and sprawled awkwardly against the couch seat. Sayaka shook her head slightly in bemusement as she looked down at the still fast asleep girl on her catch.

"… Just this once." Sayaka grumbled to herself as she leaned down. She tucked her hands under Kyoko's shoulders and knees and scooped her up in a princess carry. The blunette stood there a moment, adjusting Kyoko's head as it lolled limply on her shoulder. "… She's lighter than I thought she'd be." Sayaka noted with surprise. After the brief wonderment Sayaka carefully made her way to her bedroom. Once there she carefully deposited Kyoko onto her bed.

"I take it back. You're actually quite heavy." Sayaka grumbled as she unzipped Kyoko's jacket and clumsily wrestled the worn out jacket off the girl. Kyoko only wore a tiny black tank top underneath that exposed her midriff. The redhead was truly lost in the next world, mumbling incoherently and sighing as she curled up around herself atop Sayaka's sheets. Sayaka had to smile at the picture she presented.

"Good," Sayaka glanced at the digital clock in her room. "Afternoon?" It sounded really lame saying that. Shaking her head, the younger girl left the room. It was strange, having another person living in the apartment. It felt… nice. For the first time in months, Sayaka felt peaceful in the quiet of her apartment and the oppressive emptiness was no longer present.

She tucked a hand into her pocket and grasped her cell phone. 'Maybe…' she thought. 'Maybe I should call mom and see how she's doing…' Just as she thought that her phone vibrated in her hand, startling her. Heart leaping at the possibility of her mother being the one to reach out first, she hurriedly answered without checking the id.

"Hello?" she answered anxiously.

"Hello, Sayaka-chan!" Madoka's bright voice canceled out the pounding of Sayaka's heart. Sayaka heaved a sigh. Of course she shouldn't get her hopes up like that.

"Hey Madoka, what's up?"

"You sound down, is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, Madoka. What have I told you about worrying over me?"

"Even if you say that…"

Sayaka sighed again. "You didn't call just to check on the tone of my voice, did you?" she asked suspiciously. She wouldn't be surprised if Madoka did just that.

"Oh, right!" Madoka's voice shifted from concern to excited very quickly. "You know Homura from our class, right?"

Sayaka's feature darkened the tiniest bit. "Yeah?"

"Well, she helped a whole lot last night when that one circus let a few animals loose into the city. Apparently they were so grateful that Homura helped them that they gave her a bunch of free tickets for tonight's show!" Madoka enthusiastically relayed.

"I guess this is your invitation?" Sayaka asked with a smile, Madoka's brightness thawing out her reservations when Homura was brought up.

"Yes! And tell Kyoko-chan too! She's staying with you, right?" Madoka asked.

Sayaka raised an eyebrow. "How did you know Kyoko was staying with me?" she asked in bewilderment. She was sure Madoka hadn't caught their conversation the night before.

"How? Because I know you, Sayaka-chan!" was Madoka simple answer.

"Yeah, but," Sayaka sputtered. "Kyoko might've decided not to stay." she pointed out.

"But Kyoko-chan likes you, why would she say no?" Madoka said innocently.

"Likes me?" Sayaka looked skeptical. "I beg to differ."

"Oh, don't be silly!" Madoka dismissed Sayaka's skepticism as easily as she would brush dirt off her shoulder. "Just invite her, okay? I'll text you later and let you know what time everybody can be there."

"Alright. I haven't been to a circus in a while! This could be fun!" Sayaka let Madoka's infectious cheerfulness rub off on her.

"Yay! Thank you, Sayaka-chan! I'll see you later!"

"Bye, Madoka." They both hung up. Sayaka glanced down at her phone and her look became puzzled. 'Wait, who's 'everybody'?'

.-.-.

"Looks like Hitomi can make it too! She said she'll invite Kamijou-kun. Isn't this great, Homura-chan?" Madoka smiled at Homura, who was sitting across the bed with her.

Homura looked at Madoka sullenly. "Yeah. Great. Invite the Mayor while you're at it." she said miserably. Madoka didn't seem to pick up on the hint of sarcasm.

Madoka laughed. "I don't have the Mayor's number, silly!"

Just a few minutes ago Homura had bravely marched to Madoka's house, psyching herself up to ask Madoka out to the circus tonight. After rapping on the door it was answered by Madoka's younger brother Tatsuya, who threw an opened can of yogurt at Homura before she had time to compose an appropriate greeting. Madoka's father immediately came over and apologized to Homura profusely and offered her entrance before she had the chance to wipe the yogurt from her glasses. He called Madoka down and the girl had started fussing over her before Homura had the chance to become nervous.

It took a while until Homura had found her chance to do anything. "Madoka." Homura had said after they had settled down in Madoka's room. "I plan on going to Walpurgisnacht tonight. They gave me these tickets," she pulled out a handful of tickets and showed them to Madoka. "I was wondering, hoping really," a blush tainted Homura's cheeks and her hands inadvertently started fumbling with each other. "I want us to go to Walpurgisnacht. Together." Homura was finally able to get out. She was caught off guard when Madoka's hands grabbed up hers.

"Of course I'll go, Homura-chan!" Madoka had answered with joy in her eyes. Homura's eyes widened.

"You will?" she had responded, a hopeful smile creeping onto her lips.

Madoka eagerly nodded her head. "Of course! You have so many tickets, we should invite a whole bunch of people too!" The smile on Homura's face fell off her face and shattered onto the floor. Madoka was already reaching for her cell.

"Wait, but," Homura tried reaching out to stop Madoka, to explain that she had meant it for just the two of them.

"Hello, Sayaka-chan!" Madoka spoke cheerfully into the phone, not hearing Homura. The dark haired girl was unable to speak up and correct her, and stayed silent while Madoka called all of her friends to let them know of Homura's 'generosity'.

Homura sulked on Madoka's bed. Of course, sulking to Homura consisted of a small exhale through her nose and staring intently off to the side. Madoka noticed and she smiled fondly at her friend. Scooting closer until her hip was pressed against Homura's, she leaned against her. Homura immediately stiffened and blood rushed to her face uncontrollably when she felt the smaller girl press against her.

"We'll meet up with everyone tonight, so we have the whole day to be together, Homura-chan. Just the two of us." Madoka said warmly, alleviating Homura's concerns and messing with her thought process. "Is that okay with you?" Madoka asked when Homura didn't reply right away.

"… I would like that." Homura replied. Madoka hugged her excitedly, pressing her cheek to Homura's.

"Yay! You're the best, Homura-chan!" she said joyfully. Homura couldn't help smiling sincerely as Madoka hugged her like she would a giant teddy bear. She normally wouldn't let anyone touch her like this, but if it was Madoka…

"Yo, Madoka!" a voice burst out while simultaneous swinging Madoka's bedroom door wide open. Homura and Madoka were both so startled they fell over onto the bed. Junko stared down at them with an amused smirk. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Madoka's mother asked coyly.

"Mom!" Madoka exclaimed in embarrassment. Homura hoped that if she stayed still time would stop and she'd be able to slip out of the room. Unfortunately she didn't have any supernatural powers like that.

"Who's your friend, Madoka? She's a knock out!" Junko observed with a wink in Madoka's direction. The pink haired girl flushed cutely and laughed uncomfortably.

"Homura Akemi." the violet eyed girl stated her name as stood up and bowed respectfully to Junko. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kaname-san."

"Oh! Manners to boot!" Junko sounded deeply impressed. "I think she might be out of your league, Madoka!" she said teasingly.

"M-m-m-Mom!" Madoka spluttered.

"That's not true at all." Homura spoke up. She looked Junko straight in the eye. "It is I who is unworthy of attention from your daughter. She has been nothing but kind to me and is like the sun in the sky and the flower that blooms in the desert. I'll be forever indebted to her for the friendship she has offered me." Homura expressed in all seriousness, pink tingeing her cheeks in earnest. Madoka was so red in the face she looked dizzy. Junko raised both her brows in surprise at the declaration. She smiled.

"Then, I'll leave my daughter to you, Homura. Please take care of her."

"I'd protect her even if you hadn't asked me to." Homura said boldly. Junko grinned in Madoka's direction.

"Lucky girl. I, for one, definitely feel reassured!"

"Homura-chan…" Madoka spoke softly, looking at Homura as if in a new light. Homura glanced at Madoka, and her face flared up once more and she looked away, trying to maintain her demeanor. Junko witnessed the exchange and felt giddy.

"Oh right! I wanted to ask you something!" Junko suddenly exclaimed, snapping both girls from their bubble of discovery. "Madoka, I need you to help me find an intern for my company!"

"Eh? Why?" Madoka asked in confusion.

"Because," Junko looked suddenly angry. "This morning my boss made me pick up his son from jail for fighting! What does he think I am, his secretary? Anyway, he's still going to let his delinquent son into the intern program! Can you believe that?" She spoke as if truly cheated by fate. "I need someone who can top that. How about you, Homura? Want to work under me?"

"I'm going to respectfully decline." Homura answered.

"Too bad. Anyway, ask your friends!" Junko said over her shoulder as she left the room, a cup of coffee waiting for her in the kitchen.

"Why did you decline?" Madoka asked curiously. Homura shrugged.

"I'm going to inherit a mafia family, so I'm not looking for work."

"EH?" Madoka's jaw dropped.

"… I'm joking." said Homura after two beats.

"Ah, I see…" Madoka laughed weakly. Homura held out a hand to the smaller girl.

"Shall we go?" she asked with a soft smile. If they were to spend the day together, Homura wanted to make an early start. Madoka returned Homura's smile and gently grasped the offered hand.

.-.-.

Sayaka grunted as she practiced her swing for probably the hundredth time in the last hour. Her arms were killing her and the metal bat slipped from her fingers to thud against the floor. She had skipped softball practice on Saturday due to her wanting to get as far away from the school as possible when Hitomi told her about going out with Kyosuke. She had run off as far as she could, and when she became tired she was near a grocery store and decided to buy herself some comfort food. This was why she was so angry when the comfort food was stolen from her.

Now that she thought about, she would have never met Kyoko if she hadn't skipped softball practice that day. And if she hadn't met Kyoko, where would she be now? Sayaka didn't have the imagination to think about it.

'I wonder if she's still sleeping?' Sayaka suddenly felt compelled to check on her new roommate and hesitatingly headed for her own bedroom.

Cracking the door open, Sayaka poked her head into her own bedroom curiously. "Kyoko, are you still asleep?" Sayaka stage-whispered into the room. A rustle and groan was her only answer. She stepped further inside as quietly as she could, which actually wasn't quiet at all. Kyoko was on the bed still asleep, but in obvious distress. Her hands gripped the bed sheets, she was sweating and her face and body were tense. A pained whimper escaped her throat and she shifted on the bed to her other side, renewing her grip on the sheets.

"H-hey," Sayaka uncertainly tried to rouse the redhead by putting a hand on her shoulder and gently shaking her. Kyoko flinched away from touch as if she had been burnt and shivered. "Wake up, Kyoko!" Sayaka tried to speak in a louder voice. Kyoko didn't react to her voice at all. Sayaka started looking in distress herself as she watched Kyoko struggle against something in her sleep.

"Sa," Kyoko mumbled, curling around herself. "Shyka…"

Sayaka sat on the edge of her bed and leaned over her to see if she could make out what Kyoko was saying. But all she heard was mumbo jumbo. Sayaka instinctively wanted to help in any way she could, so her body responded by reaching out, grasping the other body and pulling Kyoko to her. The redhead herself didn't resist the warmth Sayaka's body provided her and she clung to her. The blunette flushed uncomfortably as Kyoko's scantily clad figure attempted to burrow into her, but she did note that Kyoko seemed to relax against her.

"Sayaka," her name escaped Kyoko's lips in the form of a sigh and Sayaka instantly blushed. Was she being dreamed about? If so, it didn't seem like a very pleasant dream. She had no idea what to make of it. Gradually, Kyoko's breathing returned to the slow deep breaths of peaceful sleep and Sayaka breathed a sigh of relief.

Her blue eyes were staring up at the ceiling, and then glanced down at the abundant amount of hair resting against her chest where she held Kyoko against her. And she found that her own eyes were starting to droop from tiredness. She was physically and emotionally drained by the past few hours. Never before had her emotions been pulled in so many different directions in such a short amont of time. Sharing the warmth on the bed was strangely soothing and Sayaka couldn't help her breaths slowing to match Kyoko's. She was glad she had been able to comfort Kyoko from whatever nightmare she had been experiencing. It was the least she could do since Kyoko had comforted her earlier regarding Kyosuke.

"Now we're even again." Sayaka mumbled softly before she let her eyes slide shut.


	6. Can't just leave you alone

**C**h_a_**p**t**e**_r_ 6

Kyoko couldn't remember the last time she had a pleasant awakening.

If she wasn't snapping awake with adrenalin pumping through her body and fear clinging to her like a damp towel, she was probably awakening either hollering or with tears on her face. The memory of the dream usually escaped her in those few seconds of realization that it was all a dream, but the feeling always remained. She tended to try to avoid sleep because of this and her schedule mostly consisted of brief cat naps. But that style has its consequences. Like dropping off into a deep sleep when it all caught up to her, which is what happened when she was in the middle of a conversation with Sayaka. She remembered catching herself staring at Sayaka's tiny smile that she had managed to draw out of her, and then just tumbling into unconsciousness like a drunk off a cliff. Those usually led to the worst kinds of nightmares.

But now, now she was slowly drifting to the surface of wakefulness instead of pedaling to resurface and take that gasping breath. She was warm and comfortable. She felt safe and secure. Her breathing was deep and even and she wanted to stay there forever. It was a rare moment in her life where she was still and not bothered by it.

She couldn't remember the last time she had a pleasant awakening, which is why she became suspicious when awareness started adding itself to wakefulness. The moment she realized there was an arm around her, Kyoko immediately stiffened and had a brief silent panic attack. She didn't know where she was, who this person was or how she gotten in this position in the first place, but she sure as hell was going to kick this person's ass. Her eyes opened and immediately went to the face of the person whose ass she was going to kick.

'Oh, I've already kicked this person's ass.' was Kyoko's immediate thought upon seeing Sayaka's face.

Instantly relieved, Kyoko's head dropped back down on Sayaka's chest and she took a few calming breaths to slow down her heartbeat. "Asshole, you nearly gave me a heart attack." she said in a low voice riddled with post-sleep grouchiness. For a second there she had actually been a little scared of what she'd find. Knowing it was just Sayaka helped to relieve her anxiety and she was able to calm down. There was still confusion as to how she ended up in Sayaka's bed and on top of the other girl, but knowing Sayaka it was probably for a stupid half-assed reason that didn't make sense.

Lifting her face, she was able to get a good look at Sayaka's sleeping face. 'Wow, she looks,' Kyoko scrutinized Sayaka's face with a smirk. 'Unsurprisingly idiotic when she sleeps.' Besides the arm around Kyoko, Sayaka had her other limbs sprawled in random directions and her expression looked like a little kid without a care in the world. Kyoko tried her best to memorize the expression and took a mental picture for future laughs.

Done with that, Kyoko pondered what she would do next. She should move, she knew. Get off. Or write something stupid on Sayaka's face. 'Actually this is kinda nice.' she thought. Making sure of the fact Sayaka was fast asleep, Kyoko adjusted herself so she was more comfortable, tucking her hands in between her body and Sayaka's body for the extra heat it provided and curling her legs up. It had been awhile since she had any human contact like this. And that was an understatement. It had been years since she even allowed herself to have human contact like this.

Not since her family.

When that thought emerged unbidden, Kyoko slammed down a barrier in her head but it had been too late. She remembered. An unbearable sadness swept over Kyoko and she had to hide her face in Sayaka's side. If Sayaka had been awake, she would have never allowed herself to do this. But Kyoko wasn't made of stone, and even stone needed warmth sometimes. So she would take advantage of this and allow herself to be held for once in her life. 'I'll teach her a lesson later,' Kyoko compromised half-heartedly in her head as she fought off the darkness that threatened to overwhelm her.

In that moment of weakness Kyoko was able to note that Sayaka's hand was moving and she froze up, fearing that the younger girl had woken up. Sayaka's hand moved slowly and without purpose, indicating her still sleeping state. Kyoko tried to lie as still as she could when the hand finally settled on a place on her body. And started lazily stroking that spot. Kyoko's eyes widened in shock before narrowing in anger.

'Oh hell no.'

The lesson was taught early.

.~.~.~.

Kyoko narrowed her eyes, puckered her brow, and puffed her cheeks, aiming her comical glower at a frowning Sayaka. Yet again.

"Are you ever going to stop making that face at me?" Sayaka snapped in aggravation. Kyoko huffed and puffed her cheeks further, if that was possible. Sayaka made a noise that was the equivalent of a tired sigh and a groan of exasperation. "For the hundredth time- I wasn't molesting you while you were sleeping! My hand just happened to be, um, in _that_ place when you woke up!"

"It wasn't _just _in that place!" Kyoko snapped out of her raging pout to point out. "Your hand was doing _stuff_ while it was in_ that_ place!" A furious blush covered her features at the thought.

"I can't be held responsible for my actions while I was sleeping!" Sayaka said indignantly. "You didn't have to punch me in the stomach!" Her hand automatically rubbed at her throbbing middle.

"Yes I did! I have to protect my purity!" Kyoko said with a deep blush.

Sayaka had to quickly stifle a guffaw at the word 'purity', ruffling Kyoko already ruffled feathers.

"This isn't funny." Kyoko growled at her.

"Sorry! It's just that," Sayaka looked more amused than apologetic. "You're always saying all these dirty things, but when it comes to yourself you're all, you know," Sayaka gestured at Kyoko vaguely with her hand. "Pure." The last word came out as a snort of laughter which she quickly covered up with her hand.

Kyoko sat there and glared at Sayaka, regretting ever having mentioned her pureness to her. But she didn't deny the statement. "Shut up, Molester."

"If you have concerns regarding the state of your 'purity', why are we bathing together? Again?" Sayaka asked. They were, in fact, sitting in the same cramped bathtub made for one person. Again.

"That's not the point." Kyoko growled. "Why were you even sleeping with me? Why was_ I_ sleeping on your bed?" Kyoko asked.

"That's, well, because," Sayaka stumbled over her words as Kyoko looked at her expectantly. "I just felt like doing something nice," she said quietly, averting her blue eyes away from Kyoko. "As for the sleeping with you part, I was just comforting you because you were having a nightmare…" She trailed off in embarrassment.

"So?" Kyoko asked as if she didn't understand Sayaka's reason.

"So?" Sayaka looked back at Kyoko with wide eyes. "What do you mean 'so'? Did you want me to just leave you there?" She asked incredulously.

"It's not exactly anything new," Kyoko huffed in annoyance. "I don't need you doing me anymore favors."

Sayaka looked crestfallen at the news that Kyoko frequently had nightmares. "I can't just leave you alone…" she said.

Kyoko smirked at her. "Don't act like your intentions were so noble. I totally caught you molesting me in our sleep."

"I did not molest you! On purpose! Wait, that isn't even considered molestation!" Sayaka couldn't decide what she should be most exasperated about.

"You don't consider that molestation?" Kyoko was shocked. "Then why don't I return the favor and we'll see if you feel violated or not!" she suggested, holding up her hands and wiggling her fingers suggestively at the other girl. It was Sayaka's turn to look shocked and she automatically tried to scoot away from Kyoko. Of course, there was nowhere to go in the tiny bathtub and Kyoko advanced on her eagerly.

"Wait, I change my mind! This is a bad idea!" Sayaka tried to fend off the redhead, who was trying to crawl on top of her.

"Why are you resisting? You know you want it!" Kyoko laughed heartily at the other's expense. It was difficult to squeeze in next to Sayaka, who proved extremely slippery and maneuverable. It was like trying to pin down a struggling octopus. Kyoko finally managed to wrestle in next to Sayaka in a tight squeeze.

Sayaka squeezed her eyes shut when Kyoko proceeded to do what she had apparently done to Kyoko in her sleep. 'Oh God, she's petting my… She's petting my..!'

"See, shouldn't this be considered molestation?" Kyoko asked as she pet Sayaka on the head.

"I guess… it's a bit… demeaning." Sayaka relented with a blush as Kyoko stroked her hair.

"Damn right." Kyoko grumbled, noticing just how silky Sayaka's hair felt in her fingers. She didn't have time to revel in it as Sayaka pushed her hand away and shoved Kyoko back to her side of the tub.

"Okay, okay! You made your point!" A blushing Sayaka huffed, trying to hide her blush by sinking up to her eyes in the water. She fumed in the water for a few moments before resurfacing with a curious thought on her lips. "Kyoko, what do you dream about anyways?" she asked. She wanted to know since she had heard her name spoken by Kyoko while in a breathless slumber.

"That," The bar of soap slipped from Kyoko's fingers and she scrambled to grab it before it hit the water. "I have no stinkin' idea!" she finished triumphantly as she snagged the soap in her grip. Sayaka stared at her in disbelief.

"You're kind of a mystery, you know that?" the blunette blurted out.

Kyoko raised an eyebrow at her. "Why do you think that?" She thought she had been pretty open in voicing her thoughts.

"Why?" Sayaka looked bemused. "I don't know anything about you! Besides that you like food, fighting, and you consider head petting to be molestation."

"Isn't that enough? Stop being nosy." Kyoko grumbled, not liking where this conversation was going.

"How am I being nosy?" Sayaka said back. "I was just saying."

Kyoko sighed and averted her gaze as a frown pulled at the corners of her mouth. "Look, I usually don't remember what I dream about. And when I do, I wish I wouldn't." Her crimson eyes looked side-long at Sayaka. "Satisfied?" Sayaka shook her head no and Kyoko narrowed her eyes at her. "Do you want me to pet your head again?"

Sayaka glowered at her and said under her breath. "You're forgetting I pet you first."

"I heard that!" Kyoko busted out with motion, aiming to throw the bar of soap at Sayaka's head, but the blunette managed to send a big splash her way that blinded her for a second. Sayaka used that second to move in and started rubbing the top of Kyoko's head vigorously. The redhead let out a playful shout of indignance and attempted to dunk Sayaka's head under the water with her free hand, the other trying to stab Sayaka with the bar of soap. The blunette kicked out furiously with her legs when her head was dunked and managed to make Kyoko slip and fall on top of her. In their great effort to resurface both girls couldn't help getting entangled in each other.

With all the grace of thrashing fish the two girls managed to drag themselves up for air in an awkward position. Sayaka had managed to top Kyoko and was catching her breath against Kyoko's neck.

"Did you just," Sayaka lifted her head to shoot an incredulous look at Kyoko. "try to stab me with the soap?"

The older girl panted and couldn't help letting out a throaty laugh. Sayaka tried to look like she was not amused, but in truth she was and she couldn't keep the look in place when Kyoko laughed so genuinely.

"That's how fucking gangster I am," Kyoko laughed, lifting an arm around Sayaka's shoulders to steady herself in the water. "I shank people with soap!"

"You're ridiculous." Sayaka giggled, raising a hand to remove a pile of bubbles that had ended up on Kyoko's head.

"Yeah, well, you can kiss my perfect ass." Kyoko was laughing too much for the comment to sound biting and only managed to make them laugh all the harder.

"I can kiss your ass, but I can't pet your head?"

"Shut up! S'mah contradiction!" The sound of their laughter echoed loudly in the tiled room. In that moment, the two girls had neither a care in the world nor a bone of worry in their bodies. For that moment they relished in that joyous sound with each other.

Sayaka's hair was hanging in front of her eyes and Kyoko's hand absently swept her hair to the side, disliking the fact that she wasn't getting a clear view of Sayaka's sky blues. That's when she suddenly became aware of their proximity with startling clarity and her laughter finally died down as she stared at Sayaka's lips.

Kyoko's heart started pounding in her chest as she began noticing the way Sayaka's body was flush against her own in such a bare state. The way one of her legs rested in between Kyoko's and how her bust was pressed to the side of her modest chest and the way her breath felt against her neck. The unfamiliar feelings made Kyoko's body temperature shoot up and her mind became hyper-aware of their skin. The sensations were entirely new to Kyoko and her breath caught in her throat as she stared at Sayaka with wide uncomprehending eyes. Her heart was hammering so hard she thought it would make waves in the tub. Her hand lingered a few seconds too long in Sayaka's hair and the blunette merely tilted her head with an inquiring smile. The look made something tighten in Kyoko's chest.

"H-Hello…" Was all Kyoko could muster up to say at that moment. It was strangely appropriate. Sayaka snorted at the random greeting.

"What, no physical attack to go with that? I'm surprised!" Sayaka said sarcastically, shifting on top of Kyoko to sit up, missing Kyoko's sharp intake of breath and flush of her cheeks.

"Keep talking and it can be arranged." Kyoko grumbled, quickly withdrawing from Sayaka and standing up from the tub. She stepped out and hurriedly grabbed a towel to wrap around herself. Sayaka's questioning gaze followed her in confusion, noting the sudden change of mood in Kyoko and infinitely unaware as to what possibly caused it.

"Hurry it up, will ya? I'm hungry!" the redhead groused, leaving the room before Sayaka had an opportunity to formulate a response along the lines of 'you're always hungry', or 'don't eat the towel'.

Kyoko felt jumpy after what she had just occurred in her body. In the moment she had been surprised and caught off-guard with her own responses. Now that she was up and about and not under Sayaka's body, she realized with stark clarity that she had been aroused. Seriously aroused for the first time in her life.

By _Sayaka_.

Kyoko actually laughed out loud. "Damn, I have bad tastes." she joked to herself in the mirror. However, looking in the mirror she could see the unmistakable look of hunger in her eyes. And not the usual hunger she felt. "Something is seriously wrong with me today." she muttered, looking away and going on the prowl for some clean clothes.

Honestly, Kyoko could admit she was sort of an anti-social person with a pension for isolating herself, and meeting Sayaka was probably the first positive human contact she's had in a very long time. Besides fighting, that is. Even being seventeen years old, Kyoko had no prior experience with attraction. Actually she had tried to avoid it most of her life and had been doing a pretty fine job of keeping her physical 'purity' exactly that.

Sayaka was the first person she has allowed herself to be so at ease with. But that was no reason to automatically lust after the first person to come into contact with her! Kyoko became disgusted with herself, mentally cursing her reaction. 'I'm not like _that_. I should hang out with more people more often.' she concluded bitterly.

Not that she didn't consider Sayaka pretty. Far from it, Kyoko thought of Sayaka as _very_ pretty. She almost couldn't help staring when Sayaka grinned fetchingly at her. She blamed it on her inexperience at controlling her impulses. Even Kyoko resisted some of her stronger impulses, like the ones insisting her to do crazy things to Sayaka-

"You can borrow some of my clothes, you know." Kyoko's heart nearly popped out of her mouth and her body lurched to keep it inside when Sayaka suddenly appeared behind her. She knew she must have been pretty damn lost in her thoughts if she didn't notice Sayaka approach, since the other girl was generally unsubtle when it came to her movements.

"What's wrong? I didn't even try to sneak up on you." Sayaka looked hopeful for a second. "Or maybe I'm actually naturally sneaky?"

"Um, no and no." Kyoko shot Sayaka a deadpan look to scatter any hopes of sneakiness away. "I just find the thought of borrowing clothes from you to be really disturbing!" she lied through her teeth, taking a few cautious steps away from Sayaka's towel-clad body.

"I find it more disturbing that you insist on wearing the same clothes." Sayaka responded, moving towards her closet and opening it. "Let's see!" Kyoko watched Sayaka rummage through her clothes, getting a little nervous at the eagerness on Sayaka's face. "You should fit into my clothes. I think you're only a couple of inches taller than me." Sayaka glanced at Kyoko, bringing her fingers together as if she was looking at Kyoko through a camera lens. "Probably a little leaner and smaller in the chest area."

"Hey!" Kyoko barked at her in displeasure. "It's nothing a few good meals can't fix!" she said defensively, growing self-conscious at the observation. Sayaka grinned mischievously at her and muttered a quick 'sorry' that didn't sound that apologetic.

The blunette resumed her rummaging and grabbed something. "What about this? It's not really my style so I've never worn it." Sayaka said, throwing a piece of garment at the other girl. Kyoko caught it automatically and stared at it.

Looking dubious, reluctant and embarrassed rolled into one, Kyoko glanced at Sayaka through her lashes with a touch of pink on her cheeks. "I don't think I can pull this off." she said uncomfortably.

Sayaka was taken aback for a second at how adorable Kyoko looked at that moment. She renewed her smile enthusiastically. "I think you might be surprised." she said, turning back to the closet to retrieve some clothes of her own. "It's only for now, later we'll see what we can do about getting you some more clothes."

Kyoko shifted on her feet in discontent. She wasn't sure how she felt about getting more clothes. She didn't really need it, did she? She would rather put money to better use, like buying food. And she didn't want to impose on Sayaka anymore than she already was.

"What are you waiting for? The sooner you change, the sooner we can go out and eat," Sayaka said, picking out some clothes for herself.

Kyoko's stomach promptly perked up and begged. "We're going out to eat?" Kyoko asked excitedly, mood shifting quickly and saliva gathering at the thought.

"That's the plan!" Sayaka confirmed. "We'll eat, and then we'll go to, you know, whatever it is that circus is called." she said, running her hand through her hair and shaking out the leftover droplets.

Kyoko put a hand to her hip and cocked her head. "You know, you seem, I dunno. Happier? It's freaking me out." she said with a suspicious look, although she was smiling when she said it.

Sayaka shrugged with a slight blush. After her talk with Kyoko, her heart felt a little less heavy. "I guess I just had a really nice nap, that's all." she said almost shyly, eyes flitting away as she implied that she had enjoyed sleeping with Kyoko. "Rude awakening aside and all."

Kyoko flushed at her words, also averting her eyes from Sayaka's cute expression. "I guess, me too…" she admitted bashfully, fumbling with the clothes Sayaka had given her. They glanced back at each other at the same time almost timidly to see if the other would crack a joke and ruin the moment. Neither of them did, because it was true. The both of them weren't familiar with peaceful nights, and had shared a very deep nap when they happened to sleep together. They shared a hesitant smile before Sayaka excused herself from the room to change.

Kyoko took a deep breath through her nose and held it in for a few seconds before releasing the breath. A weird feeling was gnawing at her. The kind of feeling that made her want to grin until her face split. 'Could this be,' Kyoko allowed the thought to flit briefly across her mind. 'What having a friend is like?'

"Shove it, Softie." she said to herself in the mirror while throwing off her towel. She put her hands on her hips and had a 'Damn, I look good' moment. Then she went back to dubiously eyeing the clothes Sayaka had lent her before shrugging.

In the next room Sayaka got dressed as well in cute denim overall shorts with a white tank top underneath. She was just placing the yellow clips in her hair when Kyoko hesitantly stepped out of her room. The redhead was wearing a simple yellow sundress with flower print at the hem. The dress hugged her chest before flaring to mid-thigh. Kyoko was fingering the hem of the dress and looking at Sayaka uncertainly.

"I don't know about this outfit…"

Sayaka smiled in satisfaction when she saw her. "Wow! It's actually not a complete disaster!" she said teasingly. Kyoko glared at her and turned around to walk away saying choice profanities under her breath. Sayaka took a few jogging steps to catch her hand.

"I'm kidding! It looks really cute on you!" Sayaka reassured, wanting to keep Kyoko in the outfit. And maybe take pictures in case this never happened again. Kyoko glanced at Sayaka suspiciously.

"… Really?" she asked, a note of shyness in her voice betraying her.

Sayaka's look softened and she nodded vigorously. "Really!"

"Okay then." Kyoko tried to stuff her hands in her pockets only to realize she didn't have pockets and tried to play it off like she hadn't just done that. She looked even more uncomfortable when she realized Sayaka was looking at her with a goofy smile on her face. "Shut up." Kyoko said before Sayaka could open her mouth to say something.

The blunette's mouth closed automatically and she playfully narrowed her eyes at Kyoko, who mirrored the look warningly. Sayaka rolled her eyes and held up her hands in mock surrender until Kyoko looked satisfied. Their nonverbal exchange amused the younger girl and she started smiling goofily again. Kyoko raised an eyebrow at her and she just shook her head and turned away, looking for some shoes for them to wear.

"Hey, I was wondering," Kyoko finally spoke up, reaching out to take a pair of shoes handed to her. "Can you cook?"

"Eh? Sure I can. Why?" Sayaka responded, pulling on a pair of boots.

"Well, considering the basis of our current circumstances was you going to the store to buy shitty food," Kyoko answered in a smart-ass tone.

"Hey, that's just because, I was, well," Sayaka didn't want to say 'depressed over Kyosuke' so she stumbled over her words a moment. "I can cook just fine, okay!" she sighed. "I'm just not particularly talented at it like Madoka is. So I prefer eating out." She shot a mild glare at Kyoko. "Got a problem with that?"

Kyoko smirked at her. "It's probably better this way." she said, before dodging a playful shove from Sayaka.

"Shut up and comb your hair!" Sayaka commanded, pointing at Kyoko's cascade of drying crimson hair.

Kyoko had a blank look about her. "Comb?"

"… Seriously?" Sayaka asked in mild disbelief.

Kyoko ran a hand through her hair. "Don't worry about it; it practically takes care of itself."

"If you say so," Sayaka eyed Kyoko's hair before shrugging noncommittally. The disheveled look worked for Kyoko, and if the system wasn't broke she wasn't going to fix it. "Do you want anything to cover up the..?" Sayaka gestured to Kyoko's face, indicating the yellowing and green bruises outlining her features.

Kyoko shook her head to decline the offer. "No need for any fancy makeup, Sayaka. I'll deal with it the old fashioned way." She rubbed a hand over her face. "Besides, I heal fast." she said with a proud smirk. Sayaka decided not to mention that she had applied bruise ointment earlier and kept her mouth shut.

"Whatever. Let's go before your stomach yells at me some more." Sayaka glanced slyly down Kyoko's abdomen and the redhead's stomach rumbled violently on cue. Kyoko looked at Sayaka unapologetically while the blunette had a short laugh over the promptness of her stomach's answer.

"Yeah, yeah. My stomach blames you." Kyoko muttered, moving ahead for the door. The two left the apartment exchanging quips and taking jabs at each other, though they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Any passerby would have thought they had known each other for years with the way they seemed familiar with the other.

Sayaka led them to the restaurant where she wanted to eat. "This is my favorite place to eat!" Sayaka said as they rounded a corner, pointing to a small restaurant on the corner. Kyoko immediately tensed up when she saw the place Sayaka was referring to and paused in her tracks.

"Um, about that," Kyoko said slowly and bashfully. Sayaka finally noticed Kyoko wasn't keeping pace with her and looked at her questioningly.

"What's wrong?" she inquired.

"We should probably eat somewhere else." Kyoko said, looking around to see if there were any other places to eat nearby.

"Why, I thought you were starving?" Sayaka said, turning away to continue walking and not noting Kyoko's slightly panicked expression.

"Wait wait wait, just wait." Kyoko huffed in annoyance as she finally got Sayaka's full attention. Sayaka looked wearily at Kyoko, steeling herself for anything Kyoko threw at her.

"Look, I'm probably not going to be welcome in that place…" Kyoko explained briefly and awkwardly.

Sayaka frowned at her and crossed her arms. "What did you do?" she ground out, not liking what Kyoko was implying.

"Because." Kyoko said stubbornly, sweeping her arm around her. "Let's just go anywhere else, okay?"

"No." Sayaka responded, equally if not more stubborn. "This is my favorite restaurant, and I'm not going to let anything you did prevent me from going there!" The blunette whirled around and marched toward the restaurant. "C'mon, I'll handle whatever it is you got us into." Kyoko stared after Sayaka looking disbelieving. But she followed her after a few seconds, curious as to how Sayaka would 'handle' this situation.

Sayaka looked flabbergasted when the restaurant owner finished his angry ranting at Kyoko. She was standing in between the chef and Kyoko, blocking the large man's way when he unexpectedly charged her companion the moment she stepped through the doors. Sayaka held the man back and the owner started yelling and pointing at the redhead, who made herself appear bored and disinterested with what he was saying.

When the man was finished yelling, Sayaka looked over her shoulder to stare at Kyoko incredulously. "You stole his Chunky Monkeys?" she in bafflement.

"He can't pin that on me, he has no proof." Kyoko responded, crossing her arms and eyeing the man behind her.

"I know it was you!" the chef yelled. "That day you said you'd get my Chunky Monkeys, the next morning the entire fridge was gone!"

Sayaka looked back over at Kyoko, eyebrows disappearing under her bangs. "You stole his fridge?"

Kyoko shrugged. "I might've said that." she stated blandly. Sayaka looked at her reproachfully and turned back to the man who was gaining the attention of the entire restaurant.

"Hey, HEY!" Sayaka snapped, getting the cook's attention since he was glaring daggers at Kyoko. When his eyes met hers she lowered her voice to sound as adult as she could muster. "You don't have any proof?"

The man before her fumed. "I know it was her!"

"But you don't have any proof, right?" Sayaka asked with a cool stare, confirming what Kyoko had said. The man's brow darkened as he stared at the small girl in front of him, stubbornly protecting the delinquent behind her.

He took a deep breath to control his anger and shook his head no. "I may not have proof, but I'm not serving her any food."

"That's fine." Sayaka responded, stepping further into the restaurant to take a seat.

"Eh?" Kyoko exclaimed. "If he's not serving me any food, than why the hell am I here?" Sayaka turned to glare at her over her shoulder.

"Shut up, Kyoko, just shut up." the blunette growled quietly, clearly controlling her own anger. Kyoko gulped back nervously. Sayaka led them to a booth and sat down as if she weighed a ton. Kyoko tentatively sat across from her.

"Did you steal a refrigerator full of Chunky Monkeys?" Sayaka had to ask, rubbing her forehead as if a headache was coming on.

Kyoko couldn't help the amused gust of breath escaping from her lips. "Well, yeah. But the guy totally deserved it!"

"Oh for the love of!" Sayaka threw up her hands in an act of extreme annoyance. "Why? How? No wait," Sayaka held up her hand when Kyoko opened her mouth to answer her questions. "I don't want to know. It'll make me feel like your accomplice."

"Ha. So dramatic." Kyoko half-smiled, both amused and embarrassed at having exposed Sayaka to one of her past deeds. It wasn't like she was sorry she did it or anything, she completely believed the bumblefuck of a cook deserved what she dealt him with. And those weeks of Chunky Monkeys were totally worth it.

A waitress approached their table. "The owner says he's not cooking for this one, sorry." She seemed embarrassed by her employer's attitude but had ignored Kyoko when she spoke.

"I know, I'll be ordering for myself." said Sayaka, ignoring Kyoko's sullen glower on her. "I'll have an extra large plate of fries, the triple stacked bacon cheeseburger and the ultimate lover's banana sundae." At the waitress's look Sayaka blushed slightly. "I'm just really really hungry today!"

The waitress left with her order and the two were left with an awkward silence.

"So, what am I supposed to eat?" Kyoko asked, irritated that she had been ignored in regards to a meal.

"Oh, just," Sayaka waved a hand dismissively at Kyoko. "Sit there and think about what you've done."

Kyoko really wanted to punch Sayaka in the face. Reigning herself in she put the palms of her hands against the surface of the table and rose from her seat. "I'm leaving." Sayaka's eyes widened in surprise when she did just that, walking away from their table without pause. If she wasn't there to eat, she didn't see a reason to be there at all.

Grinding her teeth together and closing her eyes, Sayaka took a deep breath to get her pride under control and spoke loud enough for Kyoko to hear. "Isn't it obvious I'm going to share with you?"

Kyoko stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at Sayaka in time to catch the girl open a single eye to her to see if she'd stopped. She looked flustered and irritated that she had been provoked to speak the words aloud, but mildly hopeful that Kyoko would come back to the table. Albeit, Kyoko was a bit caught off guard by the information. To her it hadn't been obvious at all. Sharing food wasn't exactly something that ever occurred to her. Becoming a bit flustered herself, Kyoko fidgeted for an uncomfortable moment before she reluctantly turned back around and walked back to Sayaka's table. Sayaka tried not to let her relief show itself as Kyoko sat down across from her once more.

"You could've just said so." Kyoko said sheepishly, looking off to the side.

"Yeah. I just figured you'd catch on with the whole 'ultimate lover's banana sundae' thing." Sayaka said, a smile tugging at her lips and a teasing glint in her eye. "I don't exactly have the bottomless stomach you do, you know."

Kyoko appeared to become even more embarrassed at the mention of sharing a lover's banana sundae with Sayaka and continued to stare off in some direction that Sayaka wasn't in. "It's not bottomless. I'm just deep like that." Kyoko wanted to throttle herself after the words escaped her mouth. 'Stupid!Sutpid!Stupid! Am I so nervous I'm spouting shit like this now? Shut up. Shut up.'

The redhead forced herself to look at Sayaka's face, beating down her sudden shyness and urge to look away again. When she looked Sayaka was grinning at her with a blush on her cheeks, exasperated but glad, shy yet happy. A renewed blush flared up on Kyoko's face but she refused to look away. 'I think… I might be in trouble.' she thought, taking note of her own reaction.

The food arrived just then, before Sayaka could point out the weird look Kyoko had on her face, which looked like a deer caught in headlights while her face became progressively redder. So Kyoko was very relieved when their American food was placed on the table to distract her. Her hand immediately went for the fries, grabbing a handful and stuffing them into her mouth before Sayaka had the chance to say "Itadakimasu."

Their waitress looked about ready to protest Kyoko's eating, but Sayaka looked at her with such a fierce glare that even Kyoko paused in chewing. The waitress shut her mouth and walked away, muttering something about expecting a hefty tip.

"I'm surprised you're actually defending me here." Kyoko admitted after she swallowed her food down.

"I'm not." Sayaka said, grabbing a knife to cut the burger in half. At Kyoko's confused look Sayaka explained. "Don't worry, I'm not going to let you get away with this scot-free, but I'm not going to let you go hungry either." Sayaka said, shooting Kyoko a look that promised punishment.

Kyoko snorted. "Oh, so scared of the girl whose ass I trumped."

"Oh, says the one who got her butt handed to her at DDR." Sayaka retorted, snatching up one of the fries herself.

Kyoko grinned. "Touché." They split the burger between themselves and ate. At one point when Kyoko was licking the ketchup from her fingers she spotted that cook guy glaring at her from behind the counter. "Geez, that guy hates me for no reason." she muttered.

Sayaka looked over to see what the redhead was talking about, seeing the cook turn away when she looked over. "I say he has plenty of reason. You stole his fridge and Chunky Monkeys."

"If he was going to hold out on me, then what did he expect me to do?" Kyoko responded in an annoyed tone. Sayaka raised an eyebrow at her. She looked reluctant to ask, but in the end curiosity got the better of her.

"What do you mean by that?" the blunette asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer. Crimson eyes peered at her a moment before Kyoko shrugged and sighed.

"A few weeks ago I had scrounged up some money. It had been kind of a bad week so I was looking a little shabby. I came to this place to buy some legit food, but that asshole practically threw me out calling me a street rat and that I'll scare the customers away. And while I know I'm pretty intimidating," Kyoko thumbed her nose proudly and Sayaka rolled her eyes. "I still thought that was pretty stinking rude. So I stole his fridge!" She punctuated the short story with jabbing one of her fries at Sayaka. She popped the fry into her mouth and regarded the girl across from her to gauge her reaction.

Sayaka played briefly with the food on her plate, face pulled in a contemplative state. "I guess I see your point. What he did was wrong."

"Right?" Kyoko smiled a little in relief until Sayaka frowned at her.

"But what you did was wrong too."

"I could've done a lot worse, you know." Kyoko stated seriously.

"You shouldn't have done anything at all." Sayaka said in exasperation. She seemed to have that feeling a lot around Kyoko.

"And let the bastard get away with his discrimination?" Kyoko countered.

"No, he shouldn't have done anything to you either! But, well," Sayaka made motions with her hands as if trying to grasp something. "I don't know. The world should just treat each other better." she finally settled on muttering. Kyoko blinked at Sayaka, her lips having a slight downturn. Sayaka's sentiments sounded way too familiar to her.

"Well, the world isn't like that, Sayaka. It doesn't know better." Kyoko said, feeling like she had some sort of responsibility of breaking Sayaka's idealism.

"Yes it does. The world does know better!" Sayaka disagreed strongly, shaking her head. "They just choose to do bad things and hurt each other." She looked pointedly at Kyoko.

"Then that just makes the world even worse, doesn't it?" Kyoko responded, leaning forward in her seat to look into Sayaka's eyes more clearly. "And while this stupid and brutal world keeps turning you gotta learn to roll with it, or else the world crushes dimwits like you who get stuck on every little bad deed done."

Sayaka shook her head insistently, rejecting Kyoko's view. "You're wrong. If the world goes on stupid and brutal like that forever, than I don't want any part of it." she said earnestly, meeting Kyoko's eyes. "I would rather stand up to it."

"And get crushed like the insignificant bug you are?" Kyoko was starting to get really frustrated with this girl. Everything Sayaka said sounded like something she would have said in the past, and it disturbed her. It disturbed her a lot. "Go ahead and tell me how exactly you plan on standing up to the world, hmm?" Kyoko leaned forward even more as if eager to listen to all of Sayaka's deluded plans.

"… I don't know." Sayaka admitted begrudgedly.

"See? You don't know. People like you aren't standing up to the world for the world's sake; you're just doing it to prove something to yourself." Kyoko said, looking at Sayaka pointedly. " But all you gotta know is that life sucks hard and you just have to deal with it. That's the type of person who makes it without going crazy." Kyoko bit angrily into her burger, finishing it off in a few tearing bites of her fangs.

The blunette looked at Kyoko thoughtfully, brows drawn together. "I might not know how I'm going to do it, but I guess I'll start out small. I'll start with you."

Kyoko would've outright laughed in her face if Sayaka hadn't sounded so serious and looked so goddamned _cool_ when she said that. Kyoko eyed the blunette as if measuring her mettle. This was getting ridiculous. She decided that if Sayaka was going to do dumb shit like this, than she better crush her completely before the world does. As a favor, of course.

A humorless smirk appeared on Kyoko's face. "Look at you getting worked up over Chunky Monkeys. You're a real hero." she drawled sarcastically.

"They don't call me the Chunky Monkey Savior for nothing." Sayaka tried to say with a straight face but the corner of her mouth was cracking a smile. She drew a laugh from Kyoko, which instantly alleviated the atmosphere.

Sayaka found it interesting how infectious a laugh from Kyoko was when it was genuine. She couldn't help but laugh along and be drawn in by her. When Kyoko was angry she had such a heavy presence like that of a predator, but when she was relaxed she was like an entirely different person, laid back and sunny. Sayaka preferred the happy Kyoko over the one that would kick her ass without hesitation.

"Ah, the sundae is melting!" Kyoko suddenly noted in distress. Sayaka glanced down to see that the huge sundae was indeed melting. She also noted that there only one spoon. "Hey, there's only one spoon!" Kyoko noted as well.

"Because it was just meant for me." Sayaka pointed out.

"Ah. Oh well." Kyoko grabbed the spoon first. "We'll just take turns then."

"Huh?" Sayaka watched as Kyoko took a huge bite of ice cream, then dipped the spoon back in the sundae and held it out to Sayaka. The younger girl stared at the spoon being held out to her and then looked at Kyoko questioningly.

"Go on, I'll feed ya!" Kyoko said with a grin. Sayaka immediately blushed and leaned her head back.

"What? No way! That's embarrassing!" she exclaimed. "And plus you just used that spoon!"

"What's the problem?" Kyoko looked genuinely confused.

Sayaka blinked and started fidgeting. "You know, it's just weird…"

Kyoko didn't really get it until the term 'swapping spit' registered in her brain and her face exploded with color. Normally she wouldn't really care, but with the way she'd been looking at Sayaka recently her innocence trigger was switched on. But looking at Sayaka now, looking adorably uncomfortable, also triggered Kyoko's 'tease' setting.

'Ah, fuck it.' Kyoko thought, not wanting to pass up the opportunity to make Sayaka yield to her.

"Do it." Kyoko said dead seriously.

"Huh?" Sayaka looked even more bewildered as the spoon was held in front of her mouth insistently.

"Do it!" Kyoko had an oddly patronizing yet scared look on her face as she goaded Sayaka as well as herself into this stupid act.

"No! Get that thing away from me!" Sayaka yelled, eyes locking on a drop of ice cream that dripped from the spoon and onto the table.

"DO IT!" Kyoko wiggled the spoon in front of her face. "Do it~. _Do it!_ **DO IT!**"

Completely fed up, Sayaka chomped down on the end of the spoon in a surprise move. Kyoko was stunned that Sayaka actually did it. The blunette stared impudently at Kyoko as she swallowed the offered spoonful of sundae, before pushing the plate at Kyoko. "Thanks for that. You can have the rest of it." she said in a low and embarrassed voice. She couldn't believe she had ended up doing that either.

"Ah." was Kyoko's mollified response. She had not thought past spoon-feeding Sayaka and wasn't sure what to do next. "Thanks." She dug into the over-sized sundae, aware that Sayaka now had nothing to do other than watch her finish the meal.

Sayaka rested her chin on her palm, looking over to the side and catching the chef eyeing them yet again. She frowned to herself. She was uncomfortable defending Kyoko, to say the least. Sayaka had been a regular customer at this restaurant for years and she couldn't stand the idea that the owner of the restaurant probably wouldn't trust her again. But then again, if what Kyoko said about him was true then she wasn't sure she wanted to be trusted by the likes of him either.

Her blue eyes settled on the redhead once more, watching with mild fascination as Kyoko went through the huge sundae effortlessly. It bothered Sayaka that such an innocent looking girl was capable of stealing an entire refrigerator and its contents as an act of revenge. The whole situation bothered Sayaka greatly. She had already resolved on taking responsibility of their actions, but she didn't have the slightest idea on how to go about. 'What would Kyosuke do in this situation?'

"Puhaaah!" Kyoko made an overly satisfied sound and the spoon clattered into the empty bowl, startling Sayaka from her thoughts. "That was freaking good! We should always order a lover's sundae together!" She grinned her sharp fanged grin, but without any hint of hostility the canines became cute and charming. It threw Sayaka off for a moment and she removed her hand from her chin.

"It wouldn't really count if you eat the whole thing." Sayaka pointed out, cracking her own grin from Kyoko's infectious mood.

"Well, you can spoon-feed me next time." Kyoko suggested with the barest hint of flirtation in her eyes.

Sayaka signaled the waitress for the bill. "Maybe I'll just feed you the spoon." she said, not taking Kyoko seriously.

Instead of responding, Kyoko lowered her head a little and muttered at herself to cut it out. They collected and paid the bill quickly, realizing the designated meeting time Madoka had given them was almost upon them. Passing by the counter and feeling the restaurant owner's glare on them, Kyoko let Sayaka walk past her a few steps before stopping and turning around and smiling sweetly at the guy.

"You know, this restaurant wouldn't be nearly so shitty if you had any Chunky Monkeys available." Kyoko said as innocently as possible.

"WHY YOU!" the man snapped, rushing to get in front of the counter where Kyoko waited for him.

"What the heck is wrong with you!" Sayaka yelled, grabbing Kyoko by the wrist and yanking her behind her as she made a run for it. Kyoko didn't resist, but was flashing her middle finger at the man while laughing boisterously as Sayaka practically dragged her hurriedly out of the restaurant.

"NEVER COME BACK HERE AGAIN, YOU STINKING CHUNKY MONKEY THIEF!" the cook roared as they took off.

"HAHA, he called me the 'Chunky Monkey Thief'! That's hilarious! Hell, I'm so badass that I make that sound badass!" Kyoko couldn't stop laughing as she ran behind Sayaka. She was laughing so hard she failed to notice Sayaka's darkened face.

Finally stopping, Sayaka dropped Kyoko's hand like it was a filthy rag and rounded on Kyoko. "What the heck is your problem, why did you do that!" she yelled. Kyoko had the decency to at least try to suppress her humor and attempted to sober up in the face of Sayaka's anger.

"Hey calm down, it's not that big of a deal," Kyoko tried to reason.

"That was my favorite restaurant! I can't believe I got kicked out of my favorite restaurant because of you just HAD to have the last word!"

"Like there aren't a dozen places just like it." Kyoko muttered from the side of her mouth, eying the people that were stopping to stare at the scene they were making.

Sayaka didn't appreciate Kyoko's informative comment. "That's it!" she snapped, glaring icy blue eyes at Kyoko. "You can just stay here! I'll be going to Wajimacallit _by myself_!" She proceeded to stomp off in a huff. Kyoko stared after her with raised brows, bewildered, bemused, and baffled. She didn't understand why Sayaka was so mad.

"Oh well, it's not like I wanted to go to a stupid circus anyway." she said to herself in annoyance, turning around and walking away in the opposite direction Sayaka had gone. She really _really_ wished she had worn her green hoodie. She couldn't sulk properly in this yellow sundress. She kind of had been looking forward to going to the circus and all the carnie food that came with it.

.~.~.~.

"Are you sure it's this way, Homura-chan?" Madoka asked a little uncertainly as the dark haired girl led them to Walpurgisnacht.

"I'm positive, Madoka." Homura assured her once again.

"You're not lying to me again, are you?" Madoka asked suspiciously. A tiny smile emerged on Homura's lips. So it seemed Madoka knew about her white lies.

"I promise I'm not lying this time." For the past half hour Homura had led Madoka through the city telling the small girl that statistics told her the circus would be in a different part of town, when in reality she had just been making up excuses to spend some more time alone with Madoka.

The pinkette had suspected Homura's motives, but let herself be led around since she thought Homura's round-about way of spending time with her was oddly adorable. But the meeting time was quickly approaching and she had to insist Homura take her to the right location since she didn't know where it was herself. Homura had reluctantly agreed.

"I can't wait to go to Wall-, erm, the circus!" Madoka took a few quick steps to match Homura's even stride and walk beside her. Homura noticed and slowed her pace to accommodate. "Do you like circuses, Homura-chan?"

"Not in particular." Homura answered.

"Oh," Madoka looked crestfallen and Homura tried to think of something better to say.

"All that matters is your enjoyment, Madoka. If you enjoy it, then I'll enjoy it."

"That doesn't make me happy." Madoka looked at Homura imploringly. "I want to have fun with you, not for you, Homura-chan!"

Homura's expression didn't change, but there was no denying the happy blush that quickly spread up her neck and across her face.

"Hey, isn't that Kyoko-chan?" Madoka suddenly pointed out. Homura's violet eyes peered in the direction Madoka pointed in and spotted the redhead in question. Kyoko was wearing a cute dress but her dark demeanor made people steer clear of her. Her head was hunched while she appeared to be angrily grumbling to herself.

"Hey, Kyoko-chan!" Madoka called out and waved. Homura grabbed the girl's hand and proceeded to stride in the opposite direction.

"My statistics say Walpurgisnacht will not appear in this sector." she stated as she tried to avoid Kyoko's detection.

"Gosh, Homura-chan!" Madoka whined in vexation.

"Yo, Madoka!" Kyoko's voice reached them.

Homura unwillingly slowed down and released Madoka's hand. 'Damn, spotted.' she thought to herself in displeasure. She had been hoping to avoid running into people on the way there.

Kyoko jogged up to the pair and slung an arm around Madoka. "Hey, waifu." she said playfully.

Homura burst into flames.

Kyoko immediately retracted her arm and blinked in alarm for a second. "Oh, it's just Homerun!" she finally took note of the bespectacled girl. For a second there she had mistaken her for an angry bull. Homura was not amused.

Madoka laughed uncomfortably. "Homura, this is Kyoko." she introduced the two.

"We know each other." the two said at the same time, though one voice sounded much darker than the other.

"Oh." Madoka blinked in surprise. "Well, that's good!" She suddenly gasped. "Kyoko-chan, what happened to your face?" she asked when she noticed the bruises. Her hands reached up to grab the redhead's face in concern, and Homura staggered as if mortally wounded by the display.

"Oh, these?" Kyoko smiled sheepishly. "I got in a fight." she admitted honestly.

"With Sayaka?" Madoka asked with a disapproving look.

Kyoko snorted. "As if she can cause this much damage."

Madoka looked around the area. "Where is Sayaka-chan anyway?" she inquired. Kyoko's brow furrowed and the corners of her mouth pulled down in discontentment at the mention of the name.

"Oh, I don't know!" Kyoko waved her hand dismissively. "Probably having a hissy fit somewhere and contemplating the meaning of Chunky Monkeys in our lives."

"Um…" Madoka said in polite confusion. "Maybe you should start at the beginning?"

"Maybe you should tend to Homerun first." Kyoko suggested, looking over the girl's shoulder. Homura was standing off to the side, staring into the distance with such a cold and beautiful look on her face that she appeared statuesque. She was focusing all her energy into not murdering Kyoko in front of Madoka.

"Ah!" Madoka flitted to the other girl's side. "Homura, you're doing the Batman thing again!"

Kyoko watched the other two and shook her head. "Freaking small world."

* * *

><p>AN- Yeah, so I had been planning on having the circus stuff happen in this chapter, but apparantly just getting there gives me the longest chapter yet. And I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. This is officially the longest fanfic I've ever written! (word-wise as opposed to chapter-wise) And yet I'm still barely scraping the beginning.

You guys have been really awesome with reviews, I appreciate them! I really do reread them and take into consideration any suggestion in improving the story, because I want this one to be a good one. So keep feeling free to send me those insights!


	7. I don't care that you don't care

**C**H_A_P**T**E_R_ S**E**V_E_N

"All I did was troll the guy, then Sayaka got pissed at _me_! All I wanted was candy apples, but I can't even have that? The asshat deserved it anyway." A disgruntled Kyoko relayed her tale as the group walked to their destination.

"I see." Homura commented in disinterest. Madoka glanced at her and leaned in close to the taller girl.

"You understood that?" Madoka said in confusion.

"Kyoko did something that wasn't nice, so Sayaka is trying to discipline her, but Kyoko doesn't agree with the disciplinary action taken." Homura whispered back.

"Oh. Thank you." said the smaller girl, flashing a quick grateful smile at her companion.

"No problem." Homura inwardly glowed. Kyoko had the thought that those two were really obvious despite being annoyed that Homura had to 'translate' what she had said.

Homura cleared her throat as she recovered from Madoka leaning close to her. "Still, I'm rather surprised to know you decided to live with Sayaka Miki."

"You know Sayaka?" Kyoko asked with an uncaring attitude.

Homura nodded. "We're in the same class with Madoka." Homura chose not to elaborate, but she knew Sayaka pretty well. From research, of course. When Homura took a liking to Madoka, she noted that Madoka's best friend Sayaka seemed to be mistrustful of her. Homura hadn't been sure what to make of the girl. Was she a rival in love, or merely an annoyance? After studying her for a few days Homura concluded that Sayaka was just overprotective of Madoka, and merely an obstacle for Madoka's affections.

It had never really occurred to her that maybe she should try to gain Sayaka's trust.

Kyoko shrugged. "For the record, I'm not 'living' with Sayaka. I'm just in it for the free food and bath. Sayaka is an idiot if someone can take advantage of her so easily." Kyoko played with the hem of her dress as she walked.

"That may be true, but you two get along really well!" Madoka pointed out.

"They do?" Homura raised an eyebrow.

"We don't." Kyoko corrected.

"Well, Sayaka acts really lively around you." Madoka told Kyoko.

"I find this unlikely." Homura reasoned. Kyoko nodded eagerly at the agreement. "They're total opposites. A living arrangement will only lead to disaster. Or death."

"That's scary, Homura-chan!" Madoka exclaimed.

"I apologize, Madoka. I was merely making an assessment." Homura placed a hand on Madoka's shoulder to let her know she wasn't being completely serious.

"Well, save your assessments, Homerun. I think I can figure out on my own that I want to shove my foot up that girl's ass every time she opens her mouth." Kyoko snapped. However, a little guilt registered on her face as soon as she said it and Homura immediately picked up on it.

"Kyoko-chan, try to get along better with Sayaka-chan. She's kind of having a tough time right now." Madoka sighed.

Kyoko scoffed. "Tch. With that boy? She told me all about it." Madoka stared at her with her mouth agape and Kyoko was confused as to what she said that made Madoka look at her like that.

"She _told_ you about it?" Madoka looked so hopefully at the redhead that Kyoko recoiled a little.

"Yeah..?" When Madoka went to grab her hands, Kyoko nearly instinctively punched the girl in the face. But Madoka was surprisingly quick and she grasped one of her hands in both of her tiny ones.

"You two really do get along well!" Madoka said with a beaming smile that nearly blew Kyoko's flesh right off her face. She was too dazed at the outburst to notice Homura glaring daggers at her over Madoka's head.

"I don't really get what you're saying. What's the big deal if she told me she had a crush? It was obvious." Kyoko grumbled, gently pulling her hand away from Madoka's grasp.

"It is obvious, isn't it?" Madoka chuckled. "Sometimes she pretends that everything's fine and lies about her own feelings. Ever since we were little, Sayaka felt like she had to be strong. She always wanted to protect me and not worry me. I don't think she means to, but she sort of pushes me away when she does that. And it just makes me worry even more." Madoka looked down at the pavement with a hint of sadness. But she got over it quickly and looked back up at Kyoko with a hopeful and determined look. "But she opened up to you, right? That's really amazing!"

"No, there was nothing amazing about it." Kyoko looked away guiltily. "She didn't really do it willingly or anything. It was more like I cornered her and she snapped..." Kyoko still felt a little bad about it. Sayaka's crying face was brought to the forefront of her mind and she wondered if she was wrong in telling Madoka about the incident if Sayaka was apparently a hard ass about her own feelings.

"People who aren't strong shouldn't try to be strong. Therein lays Sayaka Miki's problem." Homura remarked. Madoka turned to her with a defense on her lips, but someone beat her to it.

"You're wrong." Kyoko responded to Homura, though she was looking thoughtfully ahead of her as if she wasn't quite sure why Homura was wrong. "I wouldn't really call her 'weak'. More like… Extremely stupid." Kyoko smiled slightly when she thought back to how Sayaka just refused to stay down no matter how many times she beat or threatened her. And how even after she threatened and beat her, the dumbass still attempted to come to her 'rescue'. All extremely idiotic things to do that Kyoko just didn't understand, of course. But she couldn't help finding these actions… charming. In a stupid way that didn't even make any sense to her. A scowl replaced the hint of a smile and her brow furrowed. 'Ugh,_ I_ don't even know what the hell I'm trying to say!'

"Is there a difference between weakness and stupidity?" Homura asked, genuinely curious as opposed to insulting.

"Um," Madoka looked uncomfortable. "We shouldn't be talking about Sayaka-chan behind her back..."

"The difference is," Kyoko spoke over Madoka, glaring at Homura. "The capacity to overcome weakness if her brain cells weren't shooting out of her ass every five minutes."

"That's a contradicting statement." Homura deadpanned, looking slightly amused at the way Kyoko chose to phrase her words. "What you're basically saying is that you think Sayaka Miki has the capacity to be strong if her emotions weren't in the way all the time. Correct?"

"Right."

"I see. In that case, the two of you aren't as different as I had imagined." Homura stated with a considering look on her face. Kyoko paused in her step and looked at Homura questioningly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the redhead asked, regretting starting this conversation with the stoic girl.

"In terms of using emotion in a fight, you're probably the most emotional fighter I've ever encountered besides Sayaka." Homura said in a blunt manner, disregarding Kyoko's offended look. "You just know how to harness your feelings better and allow them to fuel you as opposed to making you sloppy."

"And what about you, Homerun? Do you even have emotions?" Kyoko shot back sarcastically.

Homura was silent for a moment. "Unable to compute." she drawled. There was a beat of silence. "That was a joke."

"Yeah, I got that." Kyoko fought down the smile trying to make an appearance. Not that Homura's joke was funny or anything, but it was just so lame it was funny. Next to her, Madoka burst into a fit of giggles. Homura's cheeks pinked in response to Madoka's laughter and she walked ahead slightly faster than them.

As they walked an interesting thought occurred to Homura. 'I can use this knowledge to my advantage.' The knowledge Homura was referring to was this strange new relationship between Sayaka and Kyoko. Homura wasn't exactly approving, but if Kyoko was able to occupy Sayaka's attention then it would be easier for her to get closer to Madoka.

"On second thought, maybe it is better for you to live with Sayaka Miki." Homura voiced. She looked back at Kyoko seriously through her glasses. "Sayaka is the type of person that needs to be needed. And you, well, you just need somebody."

Kyoko frowned at the dark haired girl. "You know, the way you assume you 'know' me really rubs me the wrong way." Her tone had the barest hint of a growl in it. "I would back off if I were you."

Homura shrugged, flipping her long hair over her shoulder. "Like I said, I was merely making an assessment."

Kyoko's scowl deepened in displeasure. "I don't need anybody." she said in a slightly quieter tone than she had intended, as if saying it to herself. Homura's knowing silence irked her. It irked her a lot.

Homura continued walking, ignoring what she knew to be Kyoko's annoyed glare at her back. In all honesty, she respected Kyoko. The girl was very effective when it came to surviving despite her circumstances. But perhaps this arrangement with Sayaka will benefit the both of them.

The feather light touch of Madoka's fingers on her arm prompted Homura to look at the small girl questioningly. Madoka wasn't looking at her but rather at something beyond her. Homura followed Madoka's gaze to land on something that was hovering ominously in the sky beyond a few buildings.

"What the hell is _that_?" Kyoko exclaimed when she noticed the strange thing.

Homura started feeling uneasy as she looked up at the large blue object. "Walpurgisnacht."

"Wow!" Madoka breathed, an excited smile spreading across her face. "There's no way we'll get lost this time!"

Kyoko stared up at the strange sight like a kid that just discovered firecrackers. "I'm gonna go check it out!" she said a little too eagerly, quickening her pace until she was jogging past them in the direction of the circus.

"Wait for us, Kyoko-chan!" Madoka cried out after her, not wanting to run after her.

"I'm going on ahead!" Kyoko hollered over her shoulder as she ran straight ahead, quickly disappearing from their sight.

"Whoa, she's fast!" Madoka looked after Kyoko with a disappointed look on her face. Homura shrugged indifferently. "Do not concern yourself over her, Madoka. It's probably best you two aren't associated." Homura continued walking ahead of the smaller girl.

"… What's that supposed to mean, Homura-chan?" Something in Madoka's tone made Homura stop walking and turn back to her companion. Madoka's eyebrows were drawn together and the corners of her mouth were turned downward as she looked at Homura expectantly. Homura's expression faltered. She had never faced Madoka's 'upset' look. It was quite adorable.

"… She's a bad influence, Madoka." Homura reasoned after a moment's hesitation. "I'm not saying she's a bad person. Just that her lifestyle is outside of your knowledge. You should be more cautious in who you choose to befriend." Madoka still had that look on her face. "I'm just looking out for you."

Madoka sighed. "I know you are. But I'm getting a little tired of people 'looking out' for me." She started walking past Homura, who was stunned by Madoka's adult declaration. "I'm a big girl, Homura-chan. It'll be nice if I had friends who supported me instead of deciding that I need to be protected." Homura followed after the shorter girl, a hint of a smile forming on her lips.

"And I might not know Kyoko-chan that well, but I can tell she's a good girl. Just like I can tell you're a good girl, Homura."

"I'm very proud of you, Madoka." Homura said, sounding sincere. Madoka raised her brows in confusion and paused to look at Homura curiously. "It makes me happy to see you standing up for yourself. I hate to see you get pushed around so often. It's one of the reasons I feel like I have to protect you." Homura admitted, looking straight ahead as she tried to communicate her feelings. "You should learn to be less of a pushover." she concluded with finality.

"Uh," Madoka looked amused. "Sure, if you say so."

"You were supposed to say 'no'."

"Huh?"

"You're letting me push you over. Let's try this again,"

Madoka released a baffled laugh. "Homura, sometimes you're a little hard to read!"

Homura whirled around to face Madoka mid-step, making the smaller girl halt. "I'm worried about you. Isn't that natural? You're much too trusting of people. What if someone takes advantage of your kindness?" Genuine worry registered in Homura's voice and eyes and Madoka was taken aback by it. The pink haired girl took a step toward her friend and smiled up at her.

"That won't happen," she let Homura know gently. "Because I have so many people looking after me whether I want them to or not. Especially you! And I love everyone for it!"

Homura blushed and looked away. "You shouldn't really trust me either…" she murmured.

"Eh? Why? I trust you a whole lot!"

Homura blushed even darker at those words. "And it makes me very happy to know that. But… sometimes… around you…" Homura couldn't seem to get her words out. "I get these… thoughts…" Homura trailed off until her voice was unintelligible.

"Oh, I already know about those!" Madoka waved her away with a laugh. "I don't mind at all!" Homura actually looked extremely alarmed by that revelation. "You're thinking that you want to be closer friends with me, right?" Madoka looked up at Homura innocently.

The dark haired girl gulped. That wasn't what she was trying to say at all! "Of course, Madoka. What else could I possibly be thinking about?" Her voice had all the sincerity of a drug addict convincing a doctor that they needed prescriptions. Madoka smiled at her again, took her hand, and proceeded to walk a deflated Homura to the circus.

.~.~.~.

Sayaka was the first to arrive at the place. It was extremely hard to miss because of the giant balloon they had hovering over the entire lot suspended by ropes with mulit-colored flags on them. Sayaka stared up at the strange huge balloon, which was in the shape of an upside-down clown with gears coming out of the billowing blue dress. It was massive and held up the large tent where the event was to take place. The lot was surrounded by stands selling food and merchandise. There were dancing clowns dotting the area and entertaining the crowd, and the perimeter of the circus area was marked by tall torches that spouted colorful flames. Truthfully speaking, the sight of the massive floating balloon over the entire lot unnerved Sayaka a bit, but was quickly distracted when a familiar voice called out to her.

"K-Kyosuke?" Sayaka said in surprise. The young man was maneuvering through the crowd toward her with a friendly smile on his face. Sayaka suddenly felt extremely self-conscious and ill prepared for this meeting. A hand went to her hair and she tried to comb it with her fingers before realizing that Kyosuke was already in front of her.

"Hey Sayaka. I didn't know you would be here too." Kyosuke greeted.

"… Hey!" Sayaka managed a semi-cheerful greeting. Truthfully, she just wasn't in the mood to have a fun night. Kyoko's earlier behavior irritated Sayaka enough that not even seeing Kyosuke bolstered her spirits completely. And knowing Kyosuke was there meant that Madoka had probably invited Hitomi along as well. Something she should have fully expected, considering Madoka's excitement when it came to having an opportunity for everyone to be together and have fun.

This lack of foresight meant that Sayaka was about to be subjected to a night enjoying the pure and lighthearted interactions of her two best friends, one of which she was in love with. Ah, the memories and fun of youth. The thought made Sayaka's heart drop into her stomach to be chewed away by corrosive acid.

She almost regretted not bringing Kyoko along. Anything to distract her from this torture.

'Stop it!' Sayaka chastised herself with a small shake of her head. 'Kyoko is not a distraction. If anything she's a full-time in your face engagement.'

"You seem a little distracted." Kyosuke observed. Sayaka jumped from her musings and laughed guiltily.

"Sorry. Just wondering when everyone else will get here." Sayaka said. Kyosuke looked at his fancy wrist watch.

"We're a bit early. Hitomi texted me a few minutes ago saying that she was going to run a little late."

"I see." said Sayaka. She decided she would do a bit of digging. "By the way, how's it going with Hitomi?" She nudged Kyosuke playfully with an elbow. "We've known each other since we were kids, but you don't tell me when you get a girlfriend? You wound me!"

Kyosuke coughed to stifle an embarrassed laugh. "I guess it came as a surprise to me as well." he admitted bashfully. "I mean, I've always admired her from afar ever since you introduced us a few months ago,"

Sayaka was honestly stunned to hear that he'd liked Hitomi for a while. How come he had never mentioned this to her before?

"So I was really happy when Hitomi confessed to me. I figured since you were her friend that she would've told you even before me."

"Well, she did, I guess." Sayaka answered, now reflecting on Hitomi doing her best to let Sayaka be aware of her feelings. "I guess I just never took her seriously." The thought brought another black cloud to hover over Sayaka's head. The realization that she been blind to Hitomi and Kyosuke's feelings for each other was like a kick to the back of her head. When she caught Kyosuke's inquiring look at her sad tone, Sayaka did her best to recover herself. "I mean, who in their right mind would like you, right?" Her laugh sounded fake even to her own ears, but Kyosuke didn't seem to pick up on it. He looked around them before leaning closer to Sayaka, making the girl lean back reflexively from surprise.

"Perhaps you can help me out with something?" The boy said in conspiratorial whisper. Sayaka gulped.

"With what?" her voice cracked the tiniest bit.

The grey haired boy pointed to a line of stands leading to the tent entrance selling goods from souvenirs to food standard carnival booths. "I think it would be nice if I got something for Hitomi before she got here." Kyosuke said with embarrassment. "Could you tell me what she would like?"

"Ah. Sure." Sayaka agreed with a slight slump of her shoulders. What did she expect? She should really learn to not get her hopes up like that. It was like getting punched in the stitches, threatening to open a patched-up wound. Looked like this trip was really going to challenge her mental fortitude.

Sayaka dragged her feet following Kyosuke as they passed by several stands, the vendors advertising their goods with encouraging yells before the big show started. Kyosuke eventually stopped at one that was selling smaller trinkets like cell phone straps and jewelry. He held something up for Sayaka to see.

"What about this?" he asked, presenting a bracelet with froggy figure dangling from it. The present brought a smile to Sayaka's face.

"It's cute!" she said. Kyosuke looked relieved.

"Really? I guess I'll go with this then." he said to himself, peering at the object more closely to look for a price. Sayaka hesitated when she realized that while she thought it was cute, it wasn't Hitomi's cup of tea. For a single petty second Sayaka considered not telling Kyosuke that Hitomi wouldn't like it. Then she thought about how Hitomi wouldn't bat an eyelash if he gave it to her. Rather, she'd accept it gratefully and wear it every day and treasure it. Sayaka developed an awful guilty taste in her throat when the thought materialized. 'I'm such a terrible, pathetic friend.'

"Wait, Kyosuke," Sayaka could barely speak over the lump in her throat.

"Hm?" The violinist inquired when Sayaka reached for his arm.

"Fail." She stared at the floor while she said the word.

"Fail?" he repeated in confusion.

Sayaka lifted her head when she managed a bright smile. "That was a test, Kyosuke. You failed! Hitomi would never wear something like that! What kind of a boyfriend are you?" she grabbed the bracelet and tossed it back to where he got it.

"Oh…" Kyosuke was genuinely dejected over failing. Sayaka helped him look around some more until they found something she was sure Hitomi would like. Kyosuke purchased it and they headed back to the entry point to await everyone else.

"Thanks for the help, Sayaka." Kyosuke smiled at her.

Her heart fluttered and she looked away shyly. "No problem." They settled into a comfortable silence, watching eager groups of people walk past them to take part in Walpurgisnacht. Sayaka felt warm inside. It has been a while since the two of them had hung out together on their own. It was a nice feeling.

Peeking at the boy from the corner of her eye, the blunette wondered if she would even stand a chance fighting for him. Sure, they knew each other since they were kids, but he basically treated her like he would treat everyone. It was one of the things she liked about him; how he was equally kind to everyone he met. It made her a little disappointed when considering that she probably wasn't anything special to Kyosuke at all. But if she didn't stand a chance fighting, could she bear standing by? Would she honestly have no regrets if she didn't at least try?

"It's been a while since we've hung out together." Kyosuke's words made Sayaka jump slightly. "Tell me what you've been up to." His smoke colored eyes looked at her expectantly.

"What I've been up to? Well, uh," Sayaka's mind went to Kyoko. "I guess you can say I've picked up a stray." An amused smile slipped out as she said the words.

Kyosuke laughed slightly. "That's nothing new. When we were kids you always found some kind of animal to bring home and give your mother a heart attack."

"Yeah, well, this time it's a bit different." Sayaka said nervously, trying to think of a good way to explain Kyoko and realizing there was just no good way of explaining Kyoko.

"Whoa! Look at the size of this thing! It's_ huge_! Haha, oh wow!" A loud familiar voice exclaimed over the crowd with boisterous exclamations. Sayaka couldn't help staggering at this convenient 'speak of the devil' moment.

"So what breed of dog are we talking this time?" Kyosuke inquired, missing the voice and Sayaka's physical reaction to it.

"Breed, you ask?" Sayaka laughed anxiously, turning her head this way and that as she looked for the source of her anxiety.

"Oh, it's a _clown_! They didn't want us looking up her dress, haha!"

"The noisy kind." Sayaka grumbled, narrowing down her search when the voice sounded closer.

"What are you looking for?" Kyosuke looked around his surroundings curiously, trying to pin down what exactly Sayaka was interested in.

That's when the blunette spotted her, jogging around excitedly like a kid in a candy store. "Excuse me a moment!" she apologized quickly to the boy as she took off after the redhead. 'This idiot, this jerk!' were her seething thoughts as she ran at Kyoko from behind. 'I'm so gonna-'

"Hey!" Kyoko let out a surprised shout when arms wrapped around her from behind. For a moment she thought she was being attacked, but there was hardly any force behind it. Instead, the effect was like she was being glomped from behind. But why the heck was she being hugged?

"What are you doing here?" Sayaka's voice asked quietly next to her ear, arms still wrapped around Kyoko's waist to hold her in place. Kyoko was startled by the question and the fact that she wasn't smashing an elbow into Sayaka's face for grabbing her like this.

"…" Kyoko couldn't get her body to respond and could only gulp in sudden nervousness. "Last time I checked I didn't take orders from you." Her voice came out as quietly as Sayaka's had been. Why were they whispering?

"Heh," Sayaka squeezed her around the middle for a moment before releasing her. "You're right, I guess. I can't tell you what to do. You wouldn't listen to me anyway."

"Damn right," Kyoko agreed, straightening out her yellow sundress before turning around to glare at her assailant. To her surprise, Sayaka was smiling at her.

"I have to admit, I'm a little relieved that you didn't listen to me." Sayaka admitted, sheepishly looking away. "I was afraid I'd have to endure some major awkwardness for the rest of the night." Sayaka was referring to being subjected to being a witness to Kamijou and Hitomi's date.

Kyoko raised a confused brow at the girl, not knowing what she was talking about. "Didn't you say you were going to the circus 'by yourself'?" Kyoko said the last part a little mockingly, much to Sayaka's chagrin. "Well, I'm here 'by myself' too, for your information."

Sayaka grit her teeth in sudden irritation. Going from relief to annoyance in a mere instant reminded her of why exactly she had been mad at Kyoko's attitude to begin with. Why the heck did she even run over here when she could have been spending valuable alone time with Kamijou? "Fine. Whatever, I don't care." Sayaka snapped back in response.

"I don't care that you don't care." Kyoko grumbled away under her breath.

The two girls huffed and were about to turn away from each other and walk back to their respective corners of the world when a certain boy stood in Sayaka's way. Sayaka jerked back reflexively with a blush on her face. "Kyosuke?" Behind her Kyoko paused to see what was happening. Kyosuke smiled pleasantly at them.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" he asked.

"Uh," Sayaka hesitated. She wasn't sure how to introduce Kyoko to him. "This is… She's my…"

Thankfully, Kyosuke was good with greeting people himself. "Hello there, my name is Kyosuke Kamijou. I'm also a friend of Sayaka's. A pleasure to meet you."

Kyoko merely regarded the boy standing in front of her with a measuring look before saying "Kyoko Sakura. I know it's a pleasure to meet me."

Kamijou laughed at her comment. "I'm sure! I was surprised when Sayaka ran off and hugged you. I don't think she's ever mentioned you before."

Sayaka's face colored at the fact that he had seen their exchange. She hadn't been hugging Kyoko! She was restraining her!

"Well, I've certainly heard a lot more about you than I ever cared to know." Kyoko responded honestly with a fake civil laugh. She checked to make sure that Sayaka was indeed getting redder by the second and felt a sense of satisfaction.

"Oh? Well you two must be close." Kamijou winked at Sayaka. "Hopefully Sayaka has only told you the good bits about me."

Sayaka, who had been mortified by the conversation so far, managed to get her lips to work in response to Kyosuke's words. "There are no bad bits about you…"

Kyoko rolled her eyes skyward at Sayaka's shy response and snorted audibly. She did this openly without caring that Kyosuke was watching her. He didn't seem like much to her. Sure, he was tall; her eyes only reached his shoulders. It annoyed her that she had to look up at the guy. His features were boyish, but were obviously maturing into what was sure to be a refined man. And he has been nothing but pleasant to her so far. Kyoko wasn't exactly sure why, but she disliked the guy already.

Now, Kyosuke Kamijou was smart enough to know when someone didn't exactly like him. Judging from the responses he'd been getting from this girl Kyoko, it was obvious she'd rather be doing something else rather than talk to him. He was perfectly okay with that. If he had time to worry about what people thought of him he would never be able to be his best at all times. His position in life that he'd worked hard for was a place that warranted either adoration or resentment from his peers. Not that he cared for either reaction since he just wanted to focus on his studies, but learning to deal with each type of person was something he had learned to do a long time ago. This girl would be no exception, no matter what reason she had had in mind to regard him with ill-will.

Kyosuke opened his mouth to address Kyoko, only to find she had disappeared from his sight when he blinked.

"Holy shit, an elephant! And it's _green_! Sayaka! Sayaka, look at this! Look at the green elephant! Have you ever _seen_ anything like that?" Kyoko yelled from afar. That girl was really fast.

Sayaka wanted to facepalm at Kyoko's attention-span. "My god, she's like a little kid." Sayaka complained. Yet she moved without hesitation to where Kyoko was at, bouncing and pointing at what was indeed an elaborately decorated bright green elephant. "You wanna go check it out?" she quickly asked Kyosuke over her shoulder.

He shook his head. "I'll wait just in case anyone else shows up." Sayaka smiled at him before she headed over to where the redhead was. Kamijou didn't have time to remark how Sayaka was like the doting parent if Kyoko was the child.

Instead he watched curiously when Sayaka joined her new friend and seemed to become almost as excited as that Kyoko girl as if it was a contagious disease. Within minutes he watched as Kyoko grabbed Sayaka's hand and practically dragged her away to witness something else she must have found interesting or amazing. Sayaka allowed herself to be taken farther away from him as if she had forgotten he was there. In all honesty, it made him sad to see her go. But a prompt sound from his pocket dashed his mood and he immediately retrieved his cell phone with the eagerness of a puppy sick with love as he read a text from his new girlfriend.

"Sayaka, what about this mask?" Kyoko asked, trying on a facemask of the circus's mascot, Kyubey.

"It's creepy." Sayaka laughed, pointing out the mask's beady eyes and three-shaped smile.

"Eh? It is not. _This_ one is creepy." Kyoko pulled down a bizarre knight's mask with three eye holes and a crown sprouting from its head. "It's perfect for you. Here." Sayaka could here Kyoko's muffled smirk from behind the mask.

"You've got a bizarre sense of what's perfect for me if you picked this out." the blunette groused, but took the mask from Kyoko's hand anyway. After she pulled it on, one of the booth workers offered to take their picture for free.

"Picture?" Kyoko suddenly sounded unsure. Hearing the hesitation, Sayaka threw an arm around Kyoko's shoulders.

"C'mon, it's free." Sayaka held the other girl in place, eager to get the other girl to take a picture. Sayaka flashed a victory sign at the camera before the flash went off, pressing her masked face to Kyoko's for a good pose.

A picture was produced immediately and the photographer pressed the picture to Sayaka's hand and thanked them. The blunette removed the mask from her face to get a better look and was satisfied by the results. "We came out pretty good, didn't we?" She turned the picture around for Kyoko to see.

The redhead took a good long look at the picture. "Funny, I don't remember the last time I've ever had my picture taken." Kyoko admitted sheepishly. Sayaka's eyes widened.

"For real?" Kyoko nodded, scratching at her cheek, her mask now sitting atop her head. "Then, this is now an important thing!" Sayaka exclaimed, pocketing the picture for safe-keeping. "Kyoko's first picture."

"That sounds lame." the redhead grumbled, though hints of happiness poked at her like an insistent mosquito. She was glad she had been able to get away from that guy and that awkward exchange. She also felt a little smug that she had been able to get Sayaka to tag along.

By the time Sayaka had a mind to look around her and notice that they had somehow managed to wander pretty far into the fray, they had already lost sight of Kyosuke and the entrance. "Wait a minute," Sayaka suddenly piped up, brows creasing together. "How did this even happen?"

Kyoko turned too-innocent crimson eyes to her. "Hm? How did what happen?"

"This!" Sayaka gestured between them vaguely. "I said I would come here by myself. You said you were here by yourself. And now what? I'm mad at you, you know." Sayaka pointed out, sounding more concerned for their combined sanity than angry.

Kyoko pulled her Kyubey mask down over her face and tilted her head cutely at Sayaka. "Well, if you wanna get all technical about it, we could say we're 'by ourselves together'." Sayaka narrowed her blue eyes at her. "Fine! Fine, I'm sorry." Kyoko yielded uncaringly. "I'm sorry I got you kicked out of your favorite restaurant. Happy?"

Sayaka looked unconvinced. "You're not sorry."

Kyoko looked guilty as she pulled her mask off her face. "Alright, I'm not sorry." Kyoko owned up to what Sayaka already knew. A fang appeared as she smiled mischievously. "I had way too much fun to be sorry."

"Yeah, I could _tell_." Sayaka whacked Kyoko lightly on the arm using her knight mask. "I can't believe how shameless you are."

"Yep, that's me. Shameless." Kyoko drawled. "Honestly though, that's me. I've done bad and stupid things in my life, but I don't see the point in regretting my actions. As long as I live for myself, my own problems are my own fault."

"Aren't you just getting what you deserve?" Sayaka piped in crossly.

"Yeah, getting what I deserve, that's a great way of putting it." Kyoko didn't let Sayaka's tone affect her. "If I think of it that way, I can take just about anything."

"But you weren't alone," Sayaka pointed out. "You got me dragged into it."

"You chose to be there with me." Kyoko said back. "I never asked you to do anything for me."

"Well, that's _me_." Sayaka mimicked Kyoko's earlier words.

"Nosy hero? Yeah, I think I got that, you Blue Power Ranger wannabe."

Sayaka opened her mouth to say something, then changed her mind and shook her head instead. "This is getting us nowhere. It seems like every time we start talking we just go around in circles." She gave Kyoko a look that was equal parts sad and resigned. "We're never going to see eye to eye, are we?"

Kyoko also appeared accepting as she looked at Sayaka. "Probably not." For a moment it was silent between them, though all around them were the festive noises and tension of the pre-circus crowd.

"Why don't we make a deal?" said Kyoko. When Sayaka remained silent to hear her out Kyoko resumed her idea. "I think we get along pretty well. When we're not trying to convert each other to the other side of the Force or whatever the hell it is we're doing." Kyoko took on the look of shyly uncomfortable when she said her next words. "I'll admit that I've had some fun with you, even if you ruin it every time you open your mouth." Sayaka opened her mouth indignantly. "Hey, don't ruin it!" Kyoko couldn't help laughing.

"You still haven't told me what this deal is." Sayaka sounded curious and impatient.

"What I'm saying is," Kyoko groped for the words she was trying to express. "In your head there's a line that you won't cross, one that I've already crossed because I don't believe in lines. But I think we're thinking too much about lines. So we should just ignore it. The line, I mean." Kyoko looked at Sayaka's face to see if she was following.

Sayaka stared blankly at her. "I have no idea what the heck you're trying to say."

"Over the line!" Kyoko suddenly said loudly.

"Enough with the lines!" Sayaka responded, confused beyond all reason. "What's with the lines? You're obsessed with lines!"

Kyoko couldn't help laughing. They were getting sidetracked, and it was all too amusing how easy it was to do that with Sayaka. "Okay, forget what I just said," Kyoko said, getting her amusement under control. "The deal is, we stop trying to change each other. Simple as that."

Understanding finally dawned on Sayaka's face, though she still appeared skeptical. "You mean, like, we just accept each other?"

"Yep." Kyoko nodded.

"Just like that?"

"Exactly."

Sayaka remained extremely unconvinced. "That's easier said than done, Kyoko."

"It is." Kyoko agreed. "I think you're stupid and naïve. You think I'm some sort of selfish criminal."

"Because it's true."

Kyoko allowed herself a smirk. "You got me there. And yet, we somehow ended up together. As Homerun would say, 'it's not logical'."

"Who? What?" Sayaka was getting frustrated with the redhead. "Cut the crap, Kyoko. The reason we sometimes get along is because we don't completely believe that of each other."

Kyoko snapped her fingers at Sayaka, glad she was catching on. "That's what I'm saying!"

Sayaka fiddled with the picture in her pocket as she considered Kyoko. It wouldn't be easy for her, she knew. She had it in her head that she could change Kyoko for the better. She had seen with her own eyes that Kyoko was a good person choosing to do bad things for reasons that Sayaka didn't understand. Same went for Kyoko as well. The redhead couldn't stand the thought that Sayaka thought herself to be righteous, with a black and white view of the world. But perhaps, at least for the sake of having a good time without divulging into arguments, they would be able to understand each other better.

"So the deal is that we just deal with each other without complaining." Sayaka repeated thoughtfully.

"Something like that, yeah." Kyoko pulled the white Kyubey mask back over her face. "Want to make it a contract?"

Sayaka snorted with amusement. "This deal is way too vague for a contract." She pulled the knight mask over her own face. "But I'll take the deal. But just for today. You can't complain about my helping you, and I'll try not to punish you too much for everything you think is justified."

"Just for today, huh? I can live with that." Kyoko held out a fist, and Sayaka bumped her own fist against it in agreement. Behind their respective masks, they couldn't help grinning at each other. Despite their differences, there was no denying they enjoyed each other's company, and this deal would allow them to be more at ease.

"Your phone's ringing." Kyoko suddenly said.

"Ah." Sayaka reached into her pocket, only to find that her phone wasn't there.

"Hello, thank you for calling the toilet seat factory, this is Hugh Jass." Kyoko said merrily into Sayaka's phone. "Oh, hey Madoka."

"Hey!" Sayaka protested having been pick pocketed.

"Yeah, I'm with Sayaka... I guess we have!"

"Give me my phone back!" Sayaka demanded, trying to snatch the phone from Kyoko's wandering hands. Kyoko dodged her easily and continued talking as if the blunette wasn't there.

"Alright, we'll be there in a minute." Kyoko quickly hung up and tossed the phone back to a disgruntled Sayaka. "C'mon, apparently everyone is waiting for us."

"Kyoko, you can't just-"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Kyoko crowed triumphantly. "We had a deal, remember?"

Sayaka was actually speechless. Kyoko had her there completely, she couldn't do anything. Had she just unleashed a demon? The girl demon in a cute yellow sundress aiming that impish grin at her? She could not in good conscious let Kyoko do whatever she wanted. What had she been thinking when she made that deal?

"Hey, Blue Power Ranger," Kyoko placed a hand on Sayaka's shoulder, noticing how distressed Sayaka was starting to look and gaining her attention. "You need to relax- I'm not nearly as bad as you seem to think I am."

"Yeah, but still…" Sayaka peered up at Kyoko uncertainly.

Kyoko's face lit up with an idea and said, "Wait right here, I'll be right back." before she took off running, disappearing into the crowd before Sayaka could stop her. And she did come right back, this time clutching two shiny red candy apples on sticks. She held one out to Sayaka. "Want one?"

Sayaka, too caught up in Kyoko's contagious energy, took the offered candy apple. After Kyoko started digging into her own was when it occurred to her that this was suspicious.

"Kyoko, how did you get these candy apples?"

"I bought them." Kyoko said through a mouthful of the sweet treat.

"Oh," Sayaka smiled with relief. "That's all right then." She brought the candied apple to her lips.

"With your money." Kyoko mentioned as a sort of afterthought. Sayaka immediately went for her pocket and was surprised to find her wallet was still there. "I've already put your wallet back." Kyoko said, a smirk playing on her lips. Her badass effect was lost since the bottom half of her face was smeared with caramel from the candy apple.

Sayaka looked at her in stunned disbelief. But looking at Kyoko's glistening mouth and chin prompted a laugh from her. "You're impossible!" Sayaka laughed, brandishing the heavy end of the stick at Kyoko.

Kyoko blinked in confusion, not really sure what Sayaka found so funny.

Looking at Kyoko, looking childishly ridiculous after such a cheeky move for food, Sayaka let her shoulders relax and ran a hand through her short hair in defeat. Just for today, she'll just not dwell on it. "Fine, then go on with your bad self." she drawled sardonically, letting her bangs fall back against her forehead.

"I plan to." Kyoko responded, also feeling much more at ease now. She wasn't sure what exactly it was that finally loosened the other girl up. It had to be the delicious candy apple, Kyoko reasoned as she went back to taking unreasonably big bites out of the object in question. She was already nearly finished when Sayaka started on her own.

Sayaka held back her laughter as she pointed to her lips. "You have a little bit of something…" Sayaka motioned to Kyoko's face.

"Ah," Kyoko stuck her tongue out and licked the corner of her mouth. "Did I get it?"

"Uh…" Sayaka nearly snorted. Kyoko had barely made a dent in the mess that was currently half her face. "Sure, you got it."

When they arrived at the designated meeting place, Madoka, Homura, and Hitomi were already there. To be more specific, Kyosuke was in the middle of giving Hitomi her new gift the moment Sayaka and Kyoko arrived. If Sayaka had been in the mood to throw her heart into a cauldron of boiling acids, her timing couldn't have been more perfect. And of course, since no one would ever have the desire for that particular sensation, Sayaka had been somewhat unprepared despite knowing this would happen. Being with Kyoko had made her forget all about it, and just a moment ago her heart had been floating in a state of content, and as a result it now had a further distance to plummet.

Hitomi was predictably delighted upon receiving the gift. Sayaka had helped pick out the gift after all, and knew she would love it. She was happy enough to give a blushing Kyosuke a kiss on the cheek. Sayaka really wanted to run away somewhere and hit something. The only thing that kept her from doing so was the awareness that Kyoko was watching her.

'_Fight or accept it_.' Kyoko advice from earlier flitted through Sayaka's head and she forced herself to stay in place and watch. She tightened her fist and grit her teeth. 'If I can't at least face them, then I won't be able to do either of those things.'

Behind her, Kyoko could see Sayaka visibly plant her feet and keep her eyes open, resolve and stubbornness radiating in her stance as she watched those two lovebirds over there. It was all a very trivial matter in Kyoko's head. But she couldn't help feeling a little proud.

"Kyoko," Sayaka turned to Kyoko, nearly startling her.

"Yeah?"

"Your face, it's all dirty. I don't want you meeting Hitomi looking like a walking candy apple."

"It is not- Oh." Kyoko had reached for her cheek, but now her hand was stuck to her face.

"You're hopeless. Didn't they give you napkins with those? Give them here." Sayaka quickly grabbed the napkins from Kyoko, trying to be quick before their group spotted them. She tried wiping Kyoko's face but the syrup was already dry against her skin and she ended up making the mess look worse, with bits of napkin stuck to Kyoko's face. Kyoko peeled her hand from her cheek slowly and then tried to lick her hand. Sayaka smacked her hand away.

"Hey, that's perfectly good food!"

"You're worse than a toddler." Sayaka left the napkin stuck to Kyoko's face and tried to be stern. Kyoko stuck her sticky hand to Sayaka's cheek in retaliation, much to the blunette's horror.

"You're looking sour, Sayaka, just trying to sweeten you up." Kyoko grinned innocently in a way that wasn't innocent at all.

Sayaka automatically exacted revenge as if it was a reflex, sticking her own hand against Kyoko's cheek. "You're going to kill me with cavities, Kyoko." Sayaka used her other hand to pick off the pieces of napkins from Kyoko's other cheek. Kyoko couldn't help blushing at their close position. Sayaka was looking at her real close, and Kyoko was suddenly struck with nervousness. She must have looked like an idiot.

"Oh my," said a quiet gasp from behind them. Sayaka had a flat look to her face that clearly said 'I knew this was gonna happen.' Turning her head slowly revealed to her that they had obviously been spotted, and their entire group was watching them with varying degrees of amusement playing across their faces. Madoka had been the one who gasped and was blushing at their position.

"… Don't mind us," Kyoko spoke up, wrapping her free arm around Sayaka's waist to hide the other girl's raging embarrassment. "As you can see, I had a bit of a mishap and we'll get back to you once Sayaka here is finished grooming me."

"Yeah," Sayaka tried to remove her hand from Kyoko's face, but it stuck there like a flytrap and she was stretching Kyoko's face in a way that threatened to make this situation comical. "Our hands are a little full at the moment."

Kyosuke coughed. "I'm sure there was a restroom set up over there." he pointed in the indicated direction.

"Alright then," Kyoko said, trying not to let her own embarrassment get to her.

"Move along." Sayaka insisted to the others, pretending this was an everyday occurrence.

"Nothing to see here."

"Yeah, nothing."

"These aren't the droids you're looking for." Sayaka pinched Kyoko's cheek at that.

Madoka looked even more embarrassed than they were. "Let's get inside, they want their privacy." she said with a blush. The group repressed a laugh much to their mortification, but moved away anyway to head for the giant tent. Only Homura stayed back and looked at the pair further.

"What are you looking at, Homerun?" Kyoko narrowed her eyes at the other girl. They watched as Homura slowly raised a hand to her mouth and let out a single, almost imperceptible, laugh of amusement through her lips. "Heh." This was the finishing blow to both girls who had managed to keep their composure thus far, and blood quickly flooded their faces.

"I advise you two to hurry; the show should be starting soon." Homura said calmly as if she hadn't just laughed at them. With that piece of advice, she turned perfectly on her heel and strode after the others, her hair swishing behind her.

"… I kind of dislike that girl." Sayaka grumbled after a moment.

"I know the feeling." Kyoko mumbled, finally finding something they both agreed on.

* * *

><p>AN- Yeah, I know it's been a while! I've actually been hella-busy this past month as opposed to being just lazy (as is the case most of the time, I'll admit). This chapter was gonna be a whole lot longer, but since I wasn't finished with the whole thing I chose a good spot to end it and went ahead and posted it up since I think too much time has already gone by. The next part should be out a lot quicker since I've already written most of it.

Anyways, thank you guys again for all the words of encouragement! If you see any grammatical errors, go ahead and point them out for me and I'll correct them really quick.


	8. This is pathetic

**Chapter Eight**

"I can clean myself up, y' know!" Kyoko protested as Sayaka rubbed at her face with a wet paper towel next to the sinks in the restrooms.

"Then don't make a mess in the first place!" Sayaka commented in aggravation, perhaps scrubbing a little harder than necessary.

"Ow-OW! Be careful, I'm still tender!" Kyoko winced, pulling her face away when the bruises on her face really started to sting. Sayaka's eyes widened in surprise before she looked down at her hands.

"Sorry." She bunched up the paper towel and threw it into the trash. "I guess I'm just annoyed right now. I've managed to embarrass myself in front of Kyosuke twice, and the night has barely even started!"

"Hey, I'm the one who should be annoyed since you insist on molesting my head in public." Kyoko accused.

"Again with the fake molestation gag?" Sayaka said in exasperation. "If anything, you were the one sexually harassing me in front of them."

"Maybe we're subconsciously hot for each other?" Kyoko wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Sayaka.

The blunette snorted dismissively. "Saying things like _that _is what's going to cause misunderstandings! Did you see Madoka's face, she was like," Sayaka demonstrated a mock shocked face, much to Kyoko's amusement. "And I definitely don't want Kyosuke to get the wrong idea! Ugh, I should've introduced you two properly to clear the air."

"Sayaka, look at me." Kyoko held her thumb and pointer finger half an inch apart. "This is how much I give a fuck."

Sayaka stared at Kyoko as if she were annoyed with herself for even considering Kyoko cared for her problems at all. "You don't have a romantic bone in your body, do you?"

Kyoko actually looked offended. "I do!" Then it was as if she lost some steam and her eyes trailed away from Sayaka. "It's just that this has nothing to do with me. I'm here to have fun and eat food, not make you look good in front of your boyfriend."

Sayaka adopted a sly look. "So, you don't have a romantic bone in your body."

"Shut up! I do!" Kyoko defended herself with a blush.

"Then, what would you do on a date?" Sayaka asked, sensing that she could use this against Kyoko.

Kyoko looked ready to respond, but she had to pause in thought. She really had no idea what would be considered romantic. "I would, like, y'know… Eat first. Then we'll hang out. And then we'll eat some more."

"Ha!" Sayaka crossed her arms and looked smug. "That was even more pathetic then I had anticipated!"

Kyoko huffed resentfully. Her answer_ had_ been the tiniest bit pathetic. "Why are you getting so superior over something like this?"

"Because," Sayaka looked mighty proud of herself. "I consider myself to be an extreme romantic." She looked like she half expected rose petals to fly around her after her declaration.

"Ohhh, then enlighten me with your expertise of what to do on a date, ye shining beacon of hope for those of us too inept to understand the sacred art of courtship." Kyoko drawled contemptuously.

Sayaka would normally comment on the river of sarcasm attempting to bowl her over, but she was so confident in this topic of conversation that she decided she would do Kyoko a favor in the area of love. "First!" she held up a finger dramatically. "Surprise is essential! Boldness is also important! Instead of plain old flowers presented to your date, how about a sonnet of love which will leave an impression in their heart forever!" Sayaka looked to be getting caught up in her own idea while Kyoko looked on in confusion, still trying to figure out what the hell a 'sonnet' was.

"Dinner should be made and served by your own hands. But in a romantic place, not at your own! Then, at the end of the night, I would dip my date and whisper 'I love you.' tenderly into their ear. Uwah, I'm blushing just thinking about it!" Sayaka put her hands to her cheeks and sighed at her own fantasy.

"That's…" Kyoko couldn't hold back her laughter. "the most _hilarious_ thing I've heard all day!" Kyoko had to lean on the sinks and hold her stomach to keep her ribs from bursting forth with how hard she started to laugh.

Sayaka reached out a finger and tried to tip Kyoko over. The redhead nearly did fall over from the tiny push since she was too busy laughing her ass off to do much else.

"Geez, mock me all you want but I didn't think you'd laugh this hard." Sayaka grumbled with a puff of her cheeks.

"This Kyosuke must be girlier than I thought if you think you gotta do those kinds of things for him!" Kyoko said breathlessly, picturing Sayaka dipping that guy and whispering 'I love you' into his ear while he swooned. The thought was enough to send Kyoko into another fit of hilarity.

"Eh?" The gears in Sayaka's head turned and clicked into place as she realized she had been speaking as if she was the one who courted Kyosuke in reversed roles. "T-that's not what I meant!" Sayaka blushed furiously, holding her hands up defensively. "I was just saying that that is what I consider romantic!"

"You were totally playing the part in your head!" Kyoko was having too much fun with this. "You were saying 'I' by the second half," It was her turn to look extremely sly. "Looks like someone wants to wear the pants in their fantasy relationship."

"Arg!" Sayaka gripped at her hair, not having a good comeback for something she had said herself. The fact that Kyoko caught her saying something like that and was laughing outright at her expense was going to destroy her brain! "Well according to you, we're on a date right now!" she shot back, wanting to wipe the mirth from Kyoko's face.

The laughter stopped immediately. "Huh?" Kyoko squeaked unintelligently.

"We ate, then we hung out, then we ate some more." Sayaka recited in amusement. "See? No romance whatsoever!"

"'Cause we're not dating," Kyoko deadpanned. "Not that I'd want to, after everything you just said." Kyoko mock shivered as if the idea of Sayaka reciting a love sonnet to her repulsed her.

"It's still been a terrible date." Sayaka continued to jab, hoping for a reaction. And she was getting one, since Kyoko looked like she was getting progressively annoyed.

"If you're going to start calling this a date," Kyoko stepped up to Sayaka, taking the other girl by surprise, grabbed her by the waist and dipped her low. "You'd be into something like this, right?" Kyoko stared with satisfaction down at Sayaka. "Now who's wearing the pants?"

Sayaka had to grab Kyoko by her forearms to support herself. "So much for not doing things that'll cause misunderstandings. And in the bathroom of all places." Sayaka was nose to nose with Kyoko but she still sounded defiant despite the blood rushing her cheeks. "You're more tasteless than I thought."

Kyoko gulped and couldn't help her eyes darting away momentarily in fleeting tension, before focusing back of Sayaka's face with renewed pride. "You started it."

"Um, excuse me!" a voice outside the bathroom door spoke loudly, interrupting their conversation and making Kyoko drop Sayaka on the bathroom floor rather unceremoniously. "If you people aren't using the bathroom, can I go in now? I'm peeing myself!" the voice said urgently.

Sayaka scrambled to her feet to whack Kyoko on the arm for dropping her onto a public bathroom floor. Kyoko laughed some more as Sayaka rigorously patted herself off and looked embarrassed, realizing they had been hogging the space and with their trivial messing around. "Let's get out of here, we're holding everyone up."

"Hold up," Kyoko grinned bashfully at her. "You made me laugh so hard I gotta pee now."

Sayaka huffed and stepped past Kyoko to give her the privacy. "You suck as a date."

"And yet, you're having fun. Who knew, right?" Sayaka rolled her eyes and waved dismissively as she stepped out the door. Now alone, Kyoko allowed herself to put a hand to her chest to calm her thundering heartbeat. 'Geez, what is wrong with me?' She couldn't even tease Sayaka properly without almost getting lost in the moment herself.

When Kyoko stepped into the bathroom stall, she noticed with horror that someone had painted a giant Kyubey face on the inside of the door.

"… I change my mind." Kyoko fled the bathroom quickly, much to the relief of the people waiting in line.

By the time they got back from cleaning themselves off, Homura was waiting for them at the entrance to the enormous tent. "Since I'm the one with the tickets," she had said upon asking. "I wouldn't want you two barred outside by yourselves."

Sayaka had leaned over to Kyoko. "Why do I get the feeling she would rather have everyone except for Madoka barred from entering?" she whispered.

"I dunno," Kyoko whispered back. "But try not to think it; this girl's got ninja sense or something."

"I do not have ninja sense, please stop talking nonsense." Homura replied without missing a beat. They didn't say anything after that and followed Homura inside like chastised children.

Just as the view outside left an impression, the inside of the Walpurgisnacht circus tent was equally impressive. The farther they walked, the higher and broader the room became, opening up to an enormous stadium-like space, complete with raised seating for hundreds of people surrounding a big ring. The place glittered with lights and anticipation.

Kyoko was thrilled. She wanted to immediately start running around and would have if Sayaka hadn't anchored the excited girl by the hand and guided her the correct way before she could get lost. And though Sayaka tried to remain the serious one between them, she couldn't help being looking about her in wonder

"Sayaka-chan, Kyoko-chan! Over here!" Madoka waved at them from seats from the very first row. They headed over and took their seats. Sayaka ended up sitting next to Hitomi, who had Kyosuke sitting on the other side. Sayaka was reluctant to sit down, but gave in when Hitomi smiled reassuringly at her. "Hello Sayaka." Hitomi greeted hopefully. Sayaka merely nodded and looked ahead.

Kyoko sat on Sayaka's other side, followed by Homura and Madoka.

Hitomi leaned forward to look past Sayaka. "I don't think I've had the chance to meet you yet." Hitomi said to Kyoko, holding out her hand for a shake. "I'm Hitomi, and you are?"

Kyoko stared at the offered hand in slight irritation. She couldn't remember ever having to introduce herself so much in such a short period of time!

"That's Kyoko Sakura." Sayaka answered for her. Sayaka turned around in her seat to Kyoko. "Kyoko, this is my fr-, this is Hitomi." A hurt looked passed over Hitomi's face, but Sayaka still wouldn't look at her. "Go on, shake her hand. Don't worry; you don't have to sniff it first or anything." Sayaka continued to address Kyoko.

Giving Sayaka a withering glare, Kyoko took the proffered hand. "Nice to meet you." she said half-heartedly out of the side of her mouth. Hitomi had a firm and steady grip for such a delicate looking girl.

"Enjoy being domesticated?" Homura commented quietly to Kyoko. Again, the manner in which she said it struck a chord in the redhead that made her uneasy.

"I don't think I'd enjoy the collar and leash as much as you do, Homerun." she grumbled back without looking at her. Homura was also looking straight ahead as she addressed the other girl. After the mutual jabs, they went back to their respective conversations as if they hadn't just spoken.

"So, how do you know Sayaka?" Hitomi asked Kyoko, trying to get a conversation going.

"I beat the living-"

"She's my new roommate." Sayaka cut Kyoko off before she could say anything embarrassing. She put an emphasis on the word 'roommate' so that Kamijou would also hear.

Kyosuke joined the conversation at that moment. "Ah, so she must be that 'stray' you were referring to. I must say, this is new even for you, Sayaka."

Kyoko shot Sayaka a questioning look. "'Stray'?"

Sayaka laughed nervously before clearing her throat. "It's just a temporary arrangement."

Homura decided to ask a question. "Until when, Sayaka Miki?" she inquired. She needed to know how long Kyoko will be able to distract Sayaka from Madoka.

"Uhhh," Kyoko and Sayaka looked at each other. Kyoko was still reluctant to admit that she had rendered Sayaka's initial motivation for taking her in null. She broke eye contact first.

Sayaka considered the other girl for a moment, slightly surprised that Kyoko had looked away from her with what looked like guilt on her face. "Until she's ready." Sayaka finally answered. "She can stay until she's ready."

Kyoko looked back at Sayaka with a confused brow raised. Ready for what exactly? Sayaka just shrugged at her like she wasn't quite sure what she meant either. That's when the lights inside the giant tent dimmed and the whole place was plunged in darkness.

"It's here." Homura stated ominously. Kyoko nudged her arm.

"Quit that, you're starting to freak _me_ out."

"Quit what?" Homura asked in genuine confusion, but some anonymous person shushed them. The show was finally starting and a single spotlight illuminated the center of the ring where a small white animal sat perched on a colorful platform.

"Aw, it's so cute!" Madoka commented.

A voice over the intercom boomed over them. "My name is Kyubey!" said the cute voice as if the white creature was speaking them. "Make a contract with me and become a magical girl!" Girls from the audience squealed at the prospect.

"Wah, it talked!" Kyoko exclaimed, jumping out of her seat and looking shocked.

"It's not real!" Sayaka told her, yanking her back down into the seat. An annoyed audience member shushed them once again.

"I want to become a magical girl!" Madoka said dreamily.

"It would suit you." Homura encouraged wholeheartedly.

"Magical girls fight Witches and spread hope, all in exchange for a single wish!" Kyubey explained as the spotlight focused on him. The beam of light soon started broadening and encompassing the entire arena, revealing many girls in various costumes appeared while the audience was focused on Kyubey. They waved at the spectators proudly, faces painted swirling colors to go with their outlandish varying outfits.

"Whoa, where did they come from?" Sayaka was the one who exclaimed and stood up this time.

"Since two minutes ago, it was so obvious!" Kyoko said, yanking Sayaka down into her seat. Several people around them shushed them again.

Hitomi was embarrassed with the negative glances they kept receiving. "Perhaps we should try to keep it down?" she suggested politely.

"Why?" Sayaka demanded to know. "It's a circus, not an opera."

"Yeah, what she said!" Kyoko exclaimed. When someone shushed them yet again, she said very loudly "Bring it!"

"That's not what I said!" Sayaka ducked down in her seat, afraid people would actually 'bring it'.

Kyoko shrugged. "I'm paraphrasing."

"Kyoko-chan, remember there are children present." Madoka leaned over Homura to whisper. Homura flashed Kyoko a thumbs up. Kyoko had no idea what she meant.

"If parents come after us, I'm leaving you behind." Sayaka grumbled to Kyoko.

"Good! I can handle a few angry parents." Kyoko smirked. "I've handled angry parents high off my ass after attacking a playground when I thought I was a mag-"

"Never mind!"

"Hey," Kyosuke spoke over all of them sharply, voice commanding attention. "Quiet. All of you." Sayaka flushed and squeaked a 'yes'. Kyoko looked irritated, but kept her mouth shut since the stage demanded her attention anyway.

Music started playing loudly as the clowns- or 'Magical Girls'- started running around the ring, performing somersaults and flips and other impressive acrobatic feats. Spotlights of various colors swirled the entire tent, and something in the atmosphere seemed to change as well. The air itself was being filled with projections of seemingly random objects like candy or small animals. The audience reached out their hands in wonder as things seemed to float around them.

"Welcome to the Witch's barrier where our Magical Girls will stop them from spreading despair with their magic!" Kyubey narrated quite well in that upbeat unisex voice he had. Up above their heads the spotlight fixated on an oddly shaped figure swinging on the trapeze. Glowing letters that appeared in the air above the figure labeled it as a Witch. The Witch looked like a pink plushie.

Even so, the Magical Girls launched themselves at it to destroy it. Trampolines were place around the ring and they leapt to and fro, launching streamers and colorful sparklers at the Witch. Somehow a giant white canon was rolled in by a Magical Girl dressed in yellow with white face paint. The audience gasped at the size of the canon. The girl winked and curtsied at the audience before pulling a big chord on the canon and saying the words "Tiro Finale!" A giant yellow ribbon burst from the canon and wrapped itself around the small Witch and the audience cheered.

"AH!" Madoka suddenly exclaimed excitedly. "Mami-san!"

"Mami?" Sayaka exclaimed in surprise as well. "Hey, that _is_ Mami! I almost couldn't tell with the face paint. What's she doing there?"

"Wow, Mami-sempai is really amazing, isn't she?" Hitomi said to Kyosuke, cheering excitedly for their classmate.

Homura pursed her lips as she watched Madoka cheer very loudly for Mami. "Impressive as always, Mami Tomoe." she acknowledged her rival. Kyoko didn't care who the big breasted girl was, all she knew was that canon looked fucking _awesome_.

When the ribbon wrapped around the Witch, something huge and dark burst forth from its mouth and lunged at Mami so suddenly that the audience collectively gasped. There were polka dots and a flash of sharp teeth on the dark shape that was an extension of the Witch itself. However, Mami was not alone, as there had been Magical Girls swarming the trapeze like the professional acrobats they were and they pulled the Witch back before it even reached a confidently poised Mami. Getting a good look at the thing now, it wasn't so scary, and its teeth looked like an oversized grin. The Magical Girls somehow got their hands on some giant tennis rackets and proceeded to smack the Witch between them like some kind of bizarre game. The spectators ate it up, laughing along at this strange comedic sight until the Witch fell.

"Now that the Witch has been defeated, hope prevails and darkness falls!" Kyubey proclaimed as the music reached its climax and the Magical Girls threw up their arms victoriously. The audience cheered loudly as the opening act concluded. Sayaka was one of the loudest, whooping and clapping her hands over her head.

"Now who's acting like a kid?" Kyoko said with a laugh. Sayaka ignored her as she tried to call out to Mami along with Madoka. However, it seemed the blonde couldn't hear them and bowed deeply to the crowd before waving and skipping out of the spotlight with the other Magical Girls.

Madoka decided to text Mami. '_Mami-san, I thought you couldn't make it tonight, but I saw you in the show! That's amazing!_' It didn't take long for her to get a response.

'_Sorry for lying, but I wanted to surprise you Madoka! I was lucky enough to get to know one of the girls participating and she invited me along. I'm happy to know you saw my short performance, even if I think it was a little embarrassing. I'll meet up with everyone later and greet you properly._'

The show went on, mostly involving outlandish animals parading around the tent, and the circus clowns doing comedic acts and making the audience roar with laughter at their physical play. Kyubey served as the ring master and would scamper onto the center stand occasionally to introduce a new act or provide monologue.

Finally, around the time the show was supposed to end, the small white ferret/cat/rabbit thing took center stage and called out for a volunteer from the audience. A hundred hands shot up eagerly, wanting to participate in whatever was going to happen next. The spotlight zigzagged across the stands as a drum roll sounded in anticipation. Finally, the light zeroed in on one rigid person near the front.

"Huh? Is it me?" Kyoko asked eagerly since she had been stretching out her arm as hard as she could into the air much to Sayaka's embarrassment.

"Homura-chan, the light's on you!" Madoka exclaimed in excitement.

"It is not." Homura stated with finality, even as the light glinted off her glasses and nearly blinded Madoka.

"Homura Akemi, come on down!" Kyubey called out.

"Tch, so it was Homerun." Kyoko sat down and sulked in disappointment.

"Homura-chan!" Madoka grabbed onto the dark haired girl's shoulder and shook her since she had immediately turned to stone the moment that annoying voice called her out by name. "C'mon, it'll be fun!" Madoka insisted.

"I don't remember volunteering." Homura sighed and got to her feet. She looked uncomfortable as she made her way towards the ring.

"This is Homura Akemi," Kyubey introduced her once she stood wearily next to him in the center of the ring. "She helped me find my way in this beautiful city after I got lost!" he relayed.

"You mean when I knocked you unconscious and dragged you ba-" Homura started to inquire. Her soft yet firm voice echoed and bounded through the room through speakers.

"What a thoughtful girl!" Kyubey interrupted her with an all too adorable tilt of his head. "Say, would you like to make a contract with me and become a Magical Girl?" Jealous members of the audience gasped eagerly at this invite.

"I refuse." Homura said straight away. This was clearly not according to script. An awkward silence encompassed the crowd at the unexpected answer. "I don't know what this contract entails. Is there a written form you could show me?"

"Eh, written form?" Kyubey's voice sounded nervous over the intercoms. "I can grant you any wish! In exchange, you spread hope and-"

"I know that part." Homura cut in. "However, what are you getting out of this 'contract'? I can't possibly make this step without first evaluating all details of this form, should you provide one. Am I being unreasonable?"

Behind Sayaka, she could overhear a conversation between a child and her parent. "Papa, that girl is ruining my childhood!" Sayaka wanted to facepalm.

"Wow, Homura-chan is _so_ smart!" Madoka gushed.

Kyoko gave her a deadpan look. "Nothing get's past you, does it?"

Behind Homura, a very short Magical Girl wearing a black polka dotted scarf and a pink frilly dress stepped up behind her and whispered in her ear. "Hey, just play along! This isn't real y' know."

Homura sighed. "Very well." She opened her eyes and cut a look at the circus mascot sitting before her, swishing its fluffy tail and peering at her with those soulless red eyes. "In that case," she removed the glasses from her face and flicked her hair over her shoulder. "I wish to always be close to the person I care for the most." She looked straight at Madoka when she said it.

"Smooth move, Homerun." Kyoko said with a smirk, seeing Madoka blush under Homura's meaningful look. "For once." Sayaka crossed her arms and frowned in a disagreeable way.

"If that is your wish, Homura Akemi, it shall be done!" Kyubey's voice multiplied and bounced through everyone's ears. There was a sudden bloom of thick smoke that rushed through the ring and hid Homura and Kyubey from view. The drum roll resumed and the smoke swirled thickly for a few moments, obscuring the crowd's view of what was happening within the ring. Then all at once the smoke was blown away.

Homura looked down at herself. "… Not bad." Somehow in those brief moments Homura had transformed into a Magical Girl, complete with sexy black stockings, white jacket with purple lapels, and a short black skirt. In her hands she had a striking black bow and arrow that didn't look like it was just decoration. Overall it looked like the outfit had been tailored to fit her.

"WHOA!" Madoka was amazed. So were Kyoko and Sayaka for that matter.

"Akemi-san looks very impressive, doesn't she?" Kyosuke said. Hitomi nodded eagerly.

"Can I become a Magical Girl?" Hitomi asked.

"No." Sayaka replied quickly.

"Oh."

Kamijou took a dejected Hitomi's hand. "Your charm has enough magical effect on me." he said smoothly. Sayaka gagged on something. Probably jealousy. However she barely had time to savor the taste when Kyoko smacked her on the back so hard she nearly fell into the row in front of them.

After coughing and apologizing to the people she coughed on Sayaka whirled on Kyoko. "What did you do that for? !"

"Looked like you were choking on something." Kyoko responded with a cheeky grin. Sayaka really wanted to grab Kyoko and shake her until her brain rattled in that head of hers, but she restrained herself. Barely.

Meanwhile back in the ring, after a round of amazed applause Homura was allowed to return to her seat, where an eager Madoka waited to snuggle her. "Homura-chan, you look so cool!" Madoka squealed enviously, squeezing Homura until the newly transformed Magical Girl looked she was about to pass out from happiness.

"This is the end of the show, but it's not the end of the Festival of Witches!" Kyubey said cheerily. "Outside, the festival continues with many treats for all you potentials out there in the audience. Thank you for coming out to see us, and remember to spread hope and happiness even if you don't make a contract with me!"

"That," Kyoko said with a grin as they stood up from their seats. "was awesome."

"Yeah, it really was!" Sayaka agreed. "I like the part when Mami-san was like 'Boom!' and the others were like, 'Pow!' and the Witch was all like 'Nooo!'"

While Kyoko shot an uncomprehending yet amused look at her, Kyosuke laughed along with Sayaka. "I know what you mean! That part was rather exciting, wasn't it?" He put his fists up like a boxer. "I have no desire to become a Magical Girl myself, but fighting a Witch would be interesting, wouldn't it?"

Kyoko muttered under her breath. "Why not, a frilly dress would suit you."

Sayaka reflected Kyosuke's pose with a giggle. "Better leave the fighting to the professionals, Kamijou-kun!" He sent a playful one-two her way, which she slapped away and sent a slow-motion right hook at his head. Kamijou made a face before he slowly ducked under it. Sayaka laughed before aiming her next slow-motion punch into his abdomen. Kyoko and Hitomi had paused to watch this playful exchange between the childhood friends.

"This is pathetic." said Kyoko in dislike.

Hitomi gazed sadly at the pair. "I'm glad," Hitomi said with a sigh. "It looks like Sayaka can still have fun with him. I was a little worried that maybe I had ruined their friendship." The green haired girl wrung her hands worriedly as she looked especially hard at Sayaka. "It makes me feel like maybe Sayaka and I might be able to patch up our relationship." she turned to Kyoko, who had been listening to her quietly. "I feel like I should thank you."

"Huh?" Kyoko was confused. It seemed this was happening a lot to her when she interacted with other people.

"You're her new roommate, correct? I think maybe that has helped alleviate her spirits, and I haven't seen her smile so much in a while." Hitomi smiled up at Kyoko. "So I'm thanking you."

Kyoko was uncomfortable once again and looked away as she scratched at the back of her neck. "I don't get you people. You seem to think I know or care about what's going on with Sayaka's personal life. I have nothing to do with it, you know."

"Perhaps it's that sort of attitude that she needs right now." Sayaka and Kyosuke were finishing up their mock fight and sharing a good laugh. Kyoko was tired of watching them.

"Hey, hurry it up you two, or freaking Homerun Magica will leave us behind!" Kyoko burst out with, since Homura and Madoka had already disappeared in the moving crowd.

"Ah, sorry," Kamijou smiled apologetically at Hitomi and held his elbow out to her. "Shall we?" The smile Sayaka had been wearing slowly faded from her face as she watched Hitomi delicately grasp Kyosuke's arm before the two of them started walking away together. She stuffed her hands in her pockets and heaved a heavy sigh.

"If you want, we can eat some more food." Kyoko suggested, bumping shoulders with the blunette. Sayaka cut Kyoko a look.

"Is food all you ever think about?" she grumbled, walking after the pair ahead of them.

"Hey, give me a little credit." Kyoko responded in mock defense. "I doubt cotton candy counts as actual 'food'."

Sayaka managed a tiny smile. "I can't argue with that logic. I guess I could go for some cotton candy." She turned around to face Kyoko and pointed a warning finger at the redhead's face. "But I don't want a repeat of the candy apple incident, so eat properly!"

"Yeah, yeah," Kyoko said with an embarrassed roll of her eyes. Way ahead of them was Homura and Madoka, just now coming out of the tent entrance.

"Everyone is looking at us, Homura-chan." Madoka commented on Homura's now very distinctive appearance.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you, Madoka Kaname." Homura said seriously, holding out her bow and staring down anyone who looked their way.

"Ah, actually, I was thinking that was a good thing?" Madoka tried to explain nervously. Homura did look very intimidating for a Magical Girl.

"How so?" Homura inquired.

"Well, ah," Madoka fiddled with her hands. "Maybe it'll help you make more friends…" Madoka glanced up at Homura timidly. Clear violet eyes watched her steadily.

"I don't need more acquaintances." Homura finally answered after a second of regarding Madoka. "I think you're already more than enough of a friend for me." she said in a quieter voice.

The smaller girl smiled fondly at the dark haired girl, even if Homura was now looking away from her to hide the blush on her face. "I'm very happy you think that." Madoka grasped Homura's hand, making the other girl jump. "But more friends would never hurt anyone. How about Kyoko-chan? You said you knew her, and you two got along pretty well." Madoka suggested eagerly. Homura made a face, even if Madoka _was_ holding her hand.

"We got along?" she said skeptically.

"Well, I think you two have a lot in common!" Madoka continued happily, liking her own idea. "You're both kinda mysterious, and you both seem really strong." She put a finger to her chin in thought. "And I think maybe… You two might be lonelier than you both let on. So you should both try your best to be friends!" Madoka concluded.

"I wish I could share your enthusiasm." said Homura, not exactly relenting to her suggestion, but keeping it in mind.

"Maybe we should start by making you look more approachable." Madoka was already set on about how she could help Homura be more popular. Homura sighed, knowing there was no stopping the other girl now. A thought seemed to occur to Madoka and she let go of Homura's hand, much to the taller girl's disappointment. She started untying the ribbons tying up her pink hair. It was a pretty red ribbon that she had gotten from her mother, and she held it up for Homura to see, her pink hair now resting about her shoulders. "I think this would look cute on you!" Madoka said, motioning for Homura to come closer.

The dark haired girl looked uncertain for a moment before she bent her head forward and let Madoka tie the ribbon around her head. "There. It looks really cute on you!" Madoka appeared satisfied to see the red ribbon now resting in Homura's dark hair. "Well, you were already extremely pretty, Homura-chan." Madoka giggled sincerely. Homura blushed and felt the now precious ribbon with her hand.

"I can't possibly keep this…"

Madoka waved her off. "It's okay, my mom keeps lots of those. She always tells me 'ribbons don't make a girl cute, a cute girl makes the ribbons cute!'"

The blood flow from Homura's body to her face was experiencing heavy traffic from the string of praise she was getting from Madoka. She almost couldn't handle it. "Thank you." she said gratefully, bestowing Madoka with a rare, deeply fond smile that left Madoka completely dazed for a moment.

"You're welcome…"

A new voice cut through the atmosphere the two had created around them. "My, Madoka, you certainly have excellent taste."

"Mami-san!" Madoka's face lit up excitedly when she finally noticed Mami standing near them. The blonde was still in her Magical Girl costume, but the face paint had been washed away. Behind her were a few more Magical Girls waiting to be introduced.

"Good evening Madoka, Akemi-san." Mami greeted graciously with her usual well-mannered smile.

Any trace of Homura's angelic smile had vanished by now. "Evening, Mami Tomoe." she said with a nod in the other's direction. Mami gestured behind her at the other cast members that had been a part of the show.

"Let me introduce you to Charlotte, Gertrude, and Elsa Marie." The three elaborately dressed girls waved at them with friendly smiles. "Those are their stage names, of course. I had bumped into Charlotte-san earlier, and after eating dinner together she graciously invited me to have a small role in the show." Mami explained, offering the small Magical Girl with the black polka dotted scarf a smile. Homura recognized her as the one who had whispered in her ear earlier on stage. The girl named Charlotte nodded at the acknowledging look and smiled back.

"Amazing, Mami-san!" Madoka greeted all the girls introduced admiringly. "You were all so cool in the show!"

"Not as cool as your friends here." Charlotte offered with a friendly grin. "Mami made a great Magical Girl, she even named the move that destroyed the Witch!"

Mami waved modestly. "I just thought it would be fun to shout a name, that's all!"

"And your other friend there," Charlotte nodded toward Homura, who was standing silently behind Madoka. "Well, she's very impressive, don't you agree?"

"Yes!" Madoka smiled proudly, and Homura's chest inflated slightly. "All of my friends are very impressive!" Homura deflated at those words. Madoka fidgeted where she stood. "Even if I'm not very special myself, I'm very proud of all my friends."

Homura stepped forward at that. "Madoka, don't ever sell yourself short. You're a very special person."

"Akemi-san is right," Mami piped up kindly. "I'm sure we're all very happy to have you as a friend as well." Their combined kindness made Madoka smiled self consciously.

"Enough about me. What are your plans for the rest of the night, Mami-san?" the pink haired girl asked politely.

"Well," Mami clapped her hands together with pleasure. "For starters, I invited these ladies to my place for a celebratory meal I cooked. It'll be delightful; won't you join us, Madoka?"

Charlotte jumped up and down excitedly. "Will there be cheese?" she asked.

"There will be whatever you want, Charlotte-san." said Mami, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder to settle her down. Madoka giggled at their interaction.

"I would love to," Madoka answered. Homura looked slightly disappointed. "But maybe later." She flashed Homura a wink and smile. "Homura is the one who invited me here, and I invited everyone else, so I can't leave just yet."

Homura flushed at her words, but still knew that Madoka wanted to go. "You should go, Madoka. If it pleases you."

"Why don't we have a small friendly contest, Akemi-san?" Mami suggested with an alluring smile. She motioned to a booth near them, where a shooting range game was set up. "If I win, I take Madoka with me. If you win, you get to keep her!" Mami suggested. Homura raised her chin. Madoka became easily flustered and tried to wave Mami's suggestion away with embarrassed excuses until Homura interrupted her with an "I accept."

Toy rifles were lined up to be used, and the object was to shoot as many floating Kyubey targets as possible. Mami took up one and twirled it in her hands like she handled those things every day. "Fair warning, Akemi-san, I'm a fairly good shot."

Homura put down her new bow and cocked one of the shotguns. "I won't be holding back either, Mami Tomoe." With weapons in their hands and confrontational looks in their eyes, they both looked like imposing figures. Even if they were only toy guns and this was a friendly contest, if not in name only.

"Fire!" There was barrage of 'pops' from the guns as they fired their rifles. Cardboard cutouts of Kyubey went down left and right, splattered red by the paint ammunition. Homura looked like she was actually enjoying herself. Madoka glanced shyly at the Magical Girls Mami gathered.

"Doesn't this seem a little…" Madoka struggled to find an inoffensive word. "Morbid?" The Magical Girls tittered at her words.

"Are you kidding?" the girl named Elsa Marie, a girl with long black pigtails and black dress that flared from her hips. "Don't tell anybody, but," she leaned in all conspiratorial and held a hand up to her mouth in secretness. "None of us Magical Girls like Kyubey."

Madoka's gasp of surprise was perfect. "But why? He is so adorable!"

Gertrude shrugged. She had an air of superiority about her, and had many colorful flowers woven into her flowing green hair. "The Owner favors the little creature because it is so rare and so intelligent. Seems like setting him free last night wasn't enough to get rid- OW!" Charlotte sank her teeth into Gertrude's arms, who shrieked and flung the tiny girl from her.

"Company secrets!" Charlotte sprung back and growled with all the threat of a Chihuahua.

"For the love of flowers- You've got to stop biting people!" Gertrude chastised, rubbing at her arm and the ring of teeth marks now present. Charlotte grinned apologetically in a way that wasn't apologetic at all. Their interactions brought an uncertain smile to Madoka's face.

On the battle front- or rather, their shooting contest- Homura and Mami waited for the game worker to tally up their scores. He looked a little distressed, since every single target had been destroyed at the hands of the two magically dressed customers. He finally proclaimed a tie and fetched them his biggest prizes. Mami was handed a large pink plushie of the Witch she had destroyed during the show. Homura was handed a giant stuffed Kyubey. Homura was not pleased.

"Well, that was certainly a close one." Mami breathed. She turned around and offered her plushie to Charlotte. "Would you like this? I think it suits you." Charlotte appeared overjoyed and glomped the toy and Mami at the same time, making the blonde laugh out loud from the other girl's enthusiasm. Homura watched that exchange before turning shy eyes to Madoka. She offered her companion her prize.

"If you like…" Homura trailed off weakly from the force of her sudden shyness. Madoka also blushed and took the offering.

"Thank you, Homura-chan. I love it!" She hugged the stuffed Kyubey about its neck, and Homura breathed easier.

"Well," Mami turned to them gracefully and bestowed the pair with a parting smile. "Since the contest was a draw and Madoka wanted to stay here anyway, I'll leave you with your prize, Akemi-san." Homura nodded. "Do stop by later, Madoka." Mami curtsied, as ladylike and charming as ever before turning on her heel and facing her circus company. "Shall we, ladies?" With friendly waves, the colorful group left, with many heads turning to look after them in wonderment.

Homura watched them leave with a small amount of relief. "You could have gone." she informed the girl standing next to her.

Madoka shook her head. "But then who would protect _you_, Homura-chan?" Madoka teased, taking a hold of Homura's arm and pulling her along. "Let's go find everyone else; I think they might have gotten lost!"

"That is _not_ cotton candy!" Sayaka accused when she saw the warped abomination in Kyoko's hand. "It's an atrocity!"

"Don't be jealous." Kyoko said back, helping herself to the mountain of rainbow colored fluff that was piled on higher than her head. Sayaka glowered at her before looking mournfully at the normal fluff of pink in her own hand.

"I don't want to be around you when all that sugar kicks in." Sayaka shuddered at the thought. It could only lead to the ultimate destruction!

"You sure know how to keep a girl happy." Kyoko said with a dry grin. "You buy me candy and then get lost. It's like you're reading my mind!"

Sayaka stared ahead of her, imagining Hitomi and Kamijou probably sharing a stick of cotton candy and blushing, or whatever embarrassing stuff it was newlyweds did in public. Embarrassing things she wished she would be the one doing with the young violinist. "I wish I could keep boys happy." she said lowly to herself.

Kyoko snorted when she caught the words. "The only happiness you gotta worry about is your own."

Sayaka looked annoyed that she was overheard. "How can I be happy when people I care about aren't?"

"Who said he wasn't happy? He looked plenty happy to me." Kyoko said around a mouthful of melting sugar. Sayaka reacted as if a bucket of cold water had been emptied over her head and she glared at the ground guiltily.

"All I'm saying is that you should just look out for Number One. Your friend obviously did, and now she's got a man while you're stuck wallowing in your own self pity." Kyoko went on unawares that she had just struck the wrong nerve in Sayaka's sore point.

"I thought we had a deal," Sayaka looked properly upset by Kyoko's comment. "I don't want to listen to your 'number one' crap. And Hitomi isn't like that!" Sayaka threw in the last sentence as an afterthought.

"Right, the deal." Kyoko repeated thoughtfully. "Why had I brought that up again?" she muttered to herself, thinking that dealing with Sayaka's doom and gloom bullshit wasn't exactly appealing to her.

"Because you wanted to run wild without consequence!" Sayaka said loudly with exasperation. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "But that's okay, because I'm planning to take advantage of this deal myself."

"Oh?" the redhead wondered what exactly Sayaka could do with the deal, and Sayaka looked at her with a devious glint in her blue eyes. "Bring it on if you can." Kyoko challenged with her own glint in her eye.

It wasn't long until they ran into Madoka and Homura and then Kyosuke and Hitomi. There was going to be a bonfire lit on the circus grounds and Madoka was eager to go see it. When they got there was full-blown music and dancing already, citizens and Magical Girls alike, joining arms and twirling around the flames like it really was a festival. By that time all the sugar Kyoko had consumed that day caught up to Kyoko and she showed off her moves with the best of them. She was a natural dancer and show-off, and she goaded the others into joining her. Sayaka, with her natural competitive streak, soon joined her and refused to be outdone in the area of dancing. Kamijou escorted Hitomi off to the side away from the jolly crowds so they could have their own private and romantic dance.

Madoka really wanted to dance herself, but Homura would not budge. "Please, Homura-chan? Please please please!"

"You go if you want to." Homura said resolutely.

"Geez, you won't make any friends if you're so shy all the time!" Madoka insisted, tugging on Homura's hand. The magically dressed girl's cheeks colored. She was indeed uncomfortable with the prospect of doing something in front of others when she didn't have the highest level of confidence in her own skill. Especially in front of Madoka. If that was considered shy, then by all means, Homura was having a shy moment!

Sayaka ran up to the pair, breathless from her physical showdown with Kyoko. She had tried her hardest, but there wasn't much she could do against a sugar-fueled Kyoko, who danced like she was battery powered. "Madoka!" she grabbed the small girl's other hand and tried to pull her along. "C'mon! If Homura won't take care of you," a loaded look was exchanged between Sayaka and Homura. "Then I will."

Homura's jaw tightened at the words and she watched Madoka get dragged away by her insistent best friend. She stared hard as Kyoko and Sayaka got on either side of poor little Madoka and started arguing over who got to dance with her. When they both looked down at Madoka to see who she would choose, the girl looked between them indecisively before shrugging helplessly. Homura had enough.

Kyoko and Sayaka were startled by Homura's sudden and silent appearance next to Madoka, almost as if she teleported there. Homura was the very picture of confidence now that she made her decision to be there. With a dashing flick of her hair, Homura took Madoka's hand delicately in her own and lead her away with a soft, "That won't be necessary." on her lips. Madoka was easily mystified and led away like a helpless sheep. Kyoko and Sayaka watched and waited to see what would happen, mutually knowing this would be interesting.

They weren't quite prepared for just how interesting the sight would really be. The music was loud and upbeat, not the slow music the two girls would have been more comfortable with, and so they had to make do. Madoka had all the grace of someone trying to awkwardly hump an invisible mosquito while waving finger 'v's past her eyes. Homura was really focused on doing the perfect robot. Also, they danced about four feet away from each other.

Sayaka and Kyoko exchanged a horrified look, and when they saw each other's faces they shared a flabbergasted laugh at the anticlimactic sight the two other girls presented to them. "Those two are made for each other!" Kyoko said in outright jest.

After Sayaka was able to calm down her own amusement, she shook her head at Kyoko's words. "I wouldn't say that, exactly." From the corner of her eye she could look over and see Kamijou holding Hitomi in the distance as they swayed together and looked into each other's eyes. Their amorous embrace jarred Sayaka from her previously amused mood to downright sodden. And with it came all the emotions Sayaka had come to loathe; the anger and hostility towards Hitomi and the sense of betrayal, and the profound sense of guilt that came with it since Sayaka's own emotions shamed her. But she couldn't help her emotions. So she watched and allowed her heart to be tortured by the sight as some sort of self-punishment.

"Hey," Kyoko brought Sayaka's attention back to her. "Music's not over yet." the redhead said with a playful grin. Sayaka stared at her. With her bountiful red hair, the yellow dress, the fire roaring behind her to cast her face in that fiery glow that makes everyone ten times more attractive, it somehow eased Sayaka's mind a little. Like she might get over this. And the key was somehow in front of her.

And then Madoka and Homura stumbled by in the most awkward dance ever, and Sayaka felt even better about herself. "Right," Sayaka withheld a smile over seeing Madoka vigorously hopping about after that invisible mosquito. "Let's try to burn out that sugar before going home."

"Just try!" Kyoko said hyperly. Not five minutes later Kyoko collapsed from a major sugar crash after Sayaka had goaded her into attempting a head-spin. Sayaka crouched down in front of the fallen girl and shook her head. "I told you this would happen." She grinned in satisfaction as she said it.

* * *

><p>AN- Once again I sacrificed the length of this chapter for a quicker update! Ugh, I'm so slow ;_;. As a result, y'all got a fluff-filled chapter. Next chapter should be a touch more serious.


	9. We're taking a detour!

**CHAPTER NINE!**

Kyoko slouched gratefully on a tiny wooden bench. "Urgh!" All the sugar she had consumed throughout the day was threatening to punch her stomach out of her throat.

The bench was settled away from the bonfire in the midst of a small fenced-in petting zoo for the kids. It was a normal set-up with not so normal animals being the main attractions. Animals like decorated sheep and dyed goats that Kyoko immediately took a dislike to. Sayaka took a reluctant place next to the sick girl on the bench. Kyoko had such an aura that neither children nor animals wanted to approach her as if she had her own 'Does Not Play Well with Others' corner of the petting zoo and no one wanted to pet her. Sayaka looked at the other girl with pity, having the thought that Kyoko kind of looked like a cat that couldn't cough up a hairball.

"Sucks to be you." Sayaka tried to sound sympathetic, but she came off as patronizing. She couldn't help it! It was just too funny.

"Shut up, I blame you!" Kyoko growled back before she gulped back something trying to force its way up her throat. "Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick…" Kyoko was still green from her extreme sugar intake, but she would never give up the food in her belly even if it made her sick. Sayaka sighed, wishing she was anywhere else.

One animal braved the unapproachable zone and fearlessly chose to munch on the grass by Kyoko's feet. It was a neon green goat. The redhead immediately recognized it as the goat Homura had forced her to babysit the night Kyoko had escaped Sayaka's apartment to confront Ryu. Kyoko looked like she was tempted to kick it. "We meet again, old foe."

Sayaka eyed Kyoko for a moment. "Did you seriously just say 'old foe'?" Returning her attention to the small green goat by Kyoko's feet, she smiled giddily. "Aww, it's really cute!"

Kyoko crossed her arms and huffed. "This thing ate my food. As far as I'm concerned, it's on my Shit List."

Petting the small green head, Sayaka just shook her head disapprovingly. "Did the mean girl scare you, you poor innocent little thing?" she mock baby-talked to the chewing goat, who looked bored with everything in its life. Kyoko made a gagging sound in response to the voice Sayaka was making.

"Keep talking like that and I'm really going to puke!"

"Oh c'mon, Kyoko!" Sayaka exclaimed. "This thing wouldn't hurt a fly. Why don't you just make peace with it?" Kyoko snorted.

"'Make peace with the goat', she says." Kyoko considered Sayaka with an amused expression before turning to the goat, shrugging in a 'why the hell not?' gesture. She offered her hand for the goat to sniff or lick or whatever. "Hey goat, wanna make a truce?" The goat promptly chomped down on her fingers by way of response. Kyoko jerked her hand away, looking more surprised than in pain. She turned bewildered eyes to Sayaka. "It bit me!"

Sayaka promptly burst into laughter. Officially pissed off, Kyoko turned back to the goat with a few choice words of peace. "You little piece of—!"

While Kyoko swore at the dull-eyed creature and cursed it to the lowest pits of hell in a way that made children and adults alike run away with their hands over their ears, Sayaka slapped at the bench in a huge fit of laughter. The look on Kyoko's face when the animal bit her hand was priceless!

A long time had passed before Kyoko paused for breath in order to launch into another stream of curses. "Had enough, freaking goat?"

"BAH!" Dreary, unimpressed eyes stared back her. Kyoko looked ready to rage even harder when another wave of nausea hit her and she clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Yeah, I think you're done." Sayaka said, wiping a tear from her eye. Kyoko groaned in a way that expressed pain and threatened pain at the same time.

"Your turn, Sayaka." Kyoko groaned out. When Sayaka raised a questioning eyebrow, Kyoko rolled her eyes. "I tried to make peace with the goat. So you gotta go make peace with your goat."

"I'm not going to pretend that made sense," Sayaka deadpanned. Kyoko looked increasingly annoyed.

"You know… The green one! With the hair and stuff!"

Sayaka continued to stare blankly at the other girl before understanding finally dawned in her eyes. "Oh, you mean _Hitomi!_"

"I guess," Kyoko mumbled indifferently. "When she bites you, I'm going to laugh my ass off."

"She's not a goat!" The blunette fumed. "And why do you care if I make peace with her?"

"I don't!" Kyoko was obviously annoyed. "This is payback! An eye for an eye! I did something stupid, now you gotta! Right, freaking goat?"

"BAH!" it answered right on cue, making Kyoko look at Sayaka with a 'see, even the damn goat agrees with me' look.

"Ugh! This is a little different than making up with a goat! And you couldn't even do that either, unless your form of making peace is yelling at it!" Sayaka returned Kyoko's annoyance ten-fold.

Kyoko crossed her arms and adopted a superior look. "I guess that just makes me the bigger, more mature person."

"This is so stupid, you're not even making sense anymore. Fine! Just so we're even!" Sayaka said through clenched teeth, immediately setting off to prove her clearly more mature status!

Kyoko rolled her eyes at Sayaka's purposeful retreat. "She's such a moron." Now she could finally be sick in peace! At least, that's what she thought until her neon green pal decided to drop a deuce right next to her foot. Apparantly, she had been on his shit list as well. "Motherf—!"

.-.-.

On another bench further away from them sat another couple who, unlike Kyoko and Sayaka, were actually enjoying each other's company. After that girl that hung around Sayaka—Kyoko-san, was it?—got dragged away by a reluctant Sayaka (who had been pressed into the service by Madoka), Kyosuke had suggested with an amused tone that they take a break from dancing. Hitomi and Kyosuke sat down on a bench a little ways from the dancing taking place around the bonfire and started chatting while sharing a tub of popcorn that the violinist had purchased. It was pleasant and easy, they both had a lot in common. From where they sat they could still see Madoka and Homura, who were still 'dancing' with each other. Well, mostly it was Madoka hurling her body around and Homura doing an awkward cat daddy.

While Kyosuke related a tale about his childhood to Hitomi, she couldn't help getting distracted by her two, fire-illuminated friends. They were just too cute and too funny to ignore.

There was something else that occupied her mind as well, and it wasn't funny or cute. Sayaka plagued Hitomi's conscious and it troubled her. While Sayaka herself was funny and cute, the circumstances of their friendship were troubling her in a way that clearly wasn't enjoyable. Hitomi shook her head slightly to try to get her thoughts in order. She was with Kamijou-kun, who was being the most thoughtful date any girl could possibly hope for, and here she was thinking about somebody else! Because of the person that occupied her thoughts, Hitomi couldn't indulge herself completely in the way she wanted to. And the more Sayaka gave her the cold-shoulder, the more Hitomi found less and less joy over the fact that her feelings matched Kamijou-kun's.

In short, Sayaka was beginning to annoy Hitomi greatly!

Sayaka wouldn't even admit her own feelings, but was making her feel guilty about acting on her own? Absurd! Hitomi didn't want to let her stubborn friend use her heart like this! Did that make her equally stubborn, equally selfish when it came to her feelings? Did she really think that she could have Kyosuke and maintain her friendship with Sayaka at the same time? Was it really so selfish to hope for both relationships to work out? These thoughts distracted Hitomi to the point of spacing out even more while Kyosuke was speaking to her.

Selfish or not, Hitomi didn't want to lose Sayaka's friendship. She was itching to have a real heart-to-heart with Sayaka, but the blunette wouldn't allow that to happen. And Hitomi was afraid that she'd send the blue-haired girl running for the hills if she confronted her on her feelings too soon. Sayaka had a tendency to be a bit unpredictable like that, at least she could be. Hitomi had never been able to quite figure her out.

This was why Hitomi could only stare in utter surprise when Sayaka was the one who suddenly approached _her_ with a determined glint in her eye and the words, "We need to talk," coming from her lips. Hitomi, too stunned to speak, nodded her head after a moment of regarding Sayaka with hesitant hope.

Kamijou, briefly confused, moved to get up as well until Sayaka placed a hand on his chest and apologetically pushed him back. "Sorry Kyosuke, but we're gonna talk about you behind your back, so you're not invited!" Sayaka managed to sound playful, despite Hitomi detecting the obvious truth behind her words.

Kyosuke just smiled calmly and sat back down with mock reluctance. "If you insist. I probably wouldn't be able to understand the ancient language of girl-talk anyway." He popped a kernel into his mouth and sighed dramatically.

Sayaka smiled apologetically at him before trudging forward purposefully, assuming Hitomi was following her. The green haired girl indeed followed, eager and fearful rolled into one.

At this point, Sayaka walked aimlessly, having no destination in mind. Now that she was actually doing this she had no idea what to say to Hitomi. She came charging in on an impulsive whim, and now she was starting to regret it. Could she really make peace with Hitomi? Did she even want to?

'I don't think I'm ready for this,' she thought, feeling queasy in her stomach. If she confronted Hitomi now, she was afraid she would get angry and say something stupid that would surely irreversibly destroy any hope their friendship had. 'What am I supposed to do now?' She briefly glanced over her shoulder at Hitomi, who she saw was fidgeting nervously but held a hopeful look in her eye. Plainly the exact opposite of Sayaka's current state, and it made Sayaka's heart take another dive of shame. 'I can't run away from this now.' When she realized that that is what she had indeed been doing up until now, Sayaka's mouth set into a grim line of resolve.

Since Sayaka had no idea where she was going and she figured they had walked far enough, she stopped in the midst of Magical Girls on stilts handing out balloons, making Hitomi nearly bump into her. With a deep breath, she turned to the girl behind her.

The green haired girl seemed to hold her breath as Sayaka merely looked at her for several long moments; however Sayaka had no idea what she wanted to say or where to start.

"So," Hitomi decided to encourage the other girl. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Sayaka appeared almost spooked when Hitomi spoke. "I…" she cleared her throat nervously. "I just…"

"You can tell me anything, you know. I've always meant that, even when you never told me anything about what goes on in that head of yours before." Hitomi said softly. Sayaka stared at her dumbly, struck by the level of maturity Hitomi was handling all this. She wondered what she'd ever done to deserve a friend like her.

"I… don't want to run away anymore." the words slipped from her mouth. And then she knew what to say. "Hitomi, I love Kyosuke." It felt good to admit it; unlike the pain she felt the first time she had said it to Kyoko in the elevator. This time it felt liberating. She looked Hitomi in the eye with more confidence and repeated the phrase more strongly. "I love Kyosuke!"

Hitomi did not look surprised, but Sayaka should have expected that. Sayaka couldn't stop talking now lest her nerves failed her. "I've liked him for a very long time. But I guess you knew that already. It hurts me to look at you, Hitomi. It sucks to say it, but I feel like you've stabbed me in the back. And I can't help feeling that way since you knew how I felt about him all this time! But you had feelings like that for him too, and I ignored them as well. In a way, I guess the communication between us got screwed up somewhere."

Hitomi listened quietly. She already knew all this of course, though it hurt to hear Sayaka felt like she had betrayed her. But what she mostly felt was an immense amount of pride in Sayaka. She knew it wasn't easy for her to display what she felt like this, but she had taken the step to do it and was doing it with crystal clear conviction. Hitomi couldn't help feeling proud of her.

"But, you know, I still want to be friends with you. Not hanging out with you doesn't sit well with me. Actually, a lot of things haven't been sitting well with me lately. My 'sitting well' room is closed today." Sayaka shook her head to stop her rambling and get her thoughts organized. She wanted to let Hitomi know she was trying to reach out to her. "What I'm trying to say is that I… treasure your friendship."

Hitomi was struck with surprise at the sincerity with which Sayaka had said that. The blunette herself blushed and hooked her thumbs through her overalls. "I mean, whose homework will I copy if we're not friends?"

Hitomi thought the sight so endearing that she let a relieved laugh escape. She couldn't help herself so she lunged forward and hugged Sayaka tightly. The blunette was so startled her arms flayed about uselessly for a few seconds at her sides, not sure if she should return the hug or not. Hitomi released her, wiping a tear of relief from her eye.

"I'm sorry, but you should really do your own homework." Hitomi chuckled.

"Heh, I guess so." Sayaka laughed with embarrassment as well. After a moment she adopted her serious look once more and dropped her gaze from the other girl's face. As if it was just that easy. "But listen, Hitomi. I'm not sure I can forgive you." Hitomi's good humor fell from her face. "At least, not right now. I'm angry with you. And seeing you two together makes me want to commit seppuku. Those are things I can't help right now." Sayaka's shimmering blues finally looked up at Hitomi regretfully but firmly. "I'm not ready to be friends again just like that. But I want to. I just need time."

"Some time…" Hitomi repeated sadly. She nodded in understanding. "I suppose, if that's what you need…"

"Also," Sayaka lifted her head and let a challenging tone slip into her voice. "I'm not just going to give up on Kyosuke either."

"What do you mean by that?" Hitomi seemed to steel up at Sayaka's declaration. The blunette was okay with that; in fact it made this easier.

"You've won for now is what I mean. But if you ever hurt him, if I ever think you're not making him happy, I'm going to take him back. I won't hesitate anymore." She honestly meant it; she decided then and there that she wouldn't deny her feelings for the young man anymore.

"I will never let that happen." Green eyes steeled with resolution and her voice reflected the same strength of will. For several seconds the two stared each other down as rivals. After a few moments, Sayaka's face broke into an idiotic grin and she ruffled at her own hair.

"No, I guess you wouldn't!" She laughed, but her heart wasn't in it. "Honestly, he doesn't deserve you."

"Sayaka…" Hitomi felt like there was so much more to say.

"Anyway, I guess that was all I really wanted to tell you. 'Make peace with the goat' and all that."

Hitomi tilted her head in confusion. "Goat? Come again?"

"Ahaha, nothing. It's just something stupid Kyoko said." Sayaka was taking steps away from Hitomi, already dismissing herself from this conversation. Hitomi didn't want that.

"Sayaka!" she called out. The aforementioned girl paused and looked at Hitomi with a hint of reluctance. "I hope you know that I'm truly sorry." Sayaka's eyes widened. "The whole thing with Kamijou-kun, it just kind of happened, and I was so happy. But I should have told you sooner. I never meant to hurt you. I wanted you to know that."

Sayaka swallowed past a lump in her throat and she nodded at her beautiful friend. "C'mon. We wouldn't want to keep your boyfriend waiting."

There she was, trying to act cool again to hide her emotions. Hitomi shook her head as a small smile played across her lips. "Okay."

The walk back was silent, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was steady, stable. They both enjoyed the feeling for however long it would last. They both were aware that their encounter could have gone either way. One word out of line and it might have turned out to be a slug-fest of words, and they were relieved it hadn't come to that. Sayaka even got a huge balloon in the shape of a mustached dandelion from one of the girls on stilts and gave it to Hitomi.

Kyosuke had been waiting patiently for them. At some point Madoka and Homura had stopped their rain dance and joined him. Madoka chatted him up cheerfully, while Homura tried to stab Kyosuke with her eyes. The violinist was the one who noticed their approach first.

"Done talking about me behind my back?" he asked with smile.

"Pretty much." Sayaka replied sheepishly. "Hitomi told me you use crunchy hair gel!" she declared in a very loud voice.

"Not very convincing, are you?" he said in amusement, reaching for his hair and running his fingers through the short grays. Sayaka shrugged.

"It was worth a shot."

"Well, now that you've had your shot," Kyosuke rose and offered Hitomi his hand. "I have to get this young lady home before her curfew, like I promised her parents."

"Wouldn't want her to be late." said Sayaka, and she was actually able to keep the bitterness from her tone. Not sounding bitter over everything was a good first step for her. Or second step. Or whichever step she was on. One out of a hundred million steps it felt like.

"We should get going as well." Homura said to Madoka. "Especially if you still want to visit Mami Tomoe."

"Can we really?" Madoka asked hopefully, the beginnings of a hopeful adoring smile making its vestige. How on earth could Homura say no to that?

"Of course. I'll accompany you, if you don't mind." 'To keep an eye on Mami Tomoe,' Homura thought to herself. 'I can never be too cautious.'

"I guess I'll be heading home too, if everyone else is." Sayaka said, looking around her sadly. She was feeling mentally exhausted anyway. Though, it would be hard to leave the glittering silver atmosphere that surrounded Walpurgisnacht like a shroud of magic promising the world. "Hopefully Kyoko hasn't run off anywhere again," she said quietly to herself.

Hitomi had taken Kamijou's hand as they prepared to separate themselves from the group. "Sayaka." The blunette turned to look at her nervously, wondering what she would say in front of everyone. "I'm really glad we talked."

Sayaka smiled with a small amount of relief. "Yeah. Me too."

Madoka smiled giddily to herself. Had her friends finally patched things up? Would they be able to act normally around each other again? Madoka hated walking around eggshells with her friends, and this whole thing with Kamijou-kun had been testing Madoka's awkwardness meter's limits lately. She was dying to ask Sayaka or Hitomi what had happened, but now just wasn't the time. For now she'll settle with sending encouraging smiles their way.

As the billowing blue dress of the massive clown floating over the circus bid the couple farewell, Hitomi swung their clasped hands between them. It was nice to walk like this, hand in hand with the boy she liked and looking up at the balloon her friend had given her. "Hey, Kamijou-kun," Hitomi had wanted to ask him something for a while now. "How do you feel… about Sayaka?" Hitomi asked her boyfriend.

"Hm? Sayaka?" he inquired, the question having taken him by surprise. "I see her as a friend I've known for a very long time. Why do you ask? You already know that."

"I know. I was just thinking that it's nice to have her as a friend." Hitomi said with a fond smile. "In middle school I had many extracurricular activities, and spent any free-time studying. I never really had the time to make any close friends. Then one day during athletics class I had fallen and sprained my knee. And some girl I haven't spoken to before just picked me up and carried me to the nurse's office like some kind of superhero and stayed with me till I felt better.

"That was how I met Sayaka. Later on in that same day, without really knowing me, she asked if I had done the homework for our class, then begged me to copy it. I thought she was very strange, but I liked her. She stuck by me and she brought Madoka along with her. The remainders of my middle school days were spent having fun with them. And through her I also got to meet you." Hitomi gave Kyosuke's hand a squeeze. "So I was just thinking that I'm very grateful to her."

"It's come to my attention that you two don't seem as close anymore." Kyosuke brought up. It was something he had noticed most evidently today. "Did you have a fight with her?"

"Well, yes and no, I suppose?" Hitomi replied, not really sure herself. They had never actually outright fought or confronted each other, but there had been many unspoken words between them that still haven't been said. They had tried to make the beginnings of amends today, but deep down Hitomi knew that things would never quite be the same. She would probably never regain Sayaka's complete trust again. In turn, Hitomi will probably see Sayaka as a rival from now on, even if she had confidence that Kamijou-kun and herself were the better match.

"But I think we've patched things up!" Hitomi said with a reassuring smile, even if she was mistrustful of those words herself. Kyosuke looked satisfied with her answer.

"I see. I hope that's true." Kyosuke smile radiated the natural charm that made many people admire him. "I'd hate to see my two number one girls fighting each other."

The smile was infectious and Hitomi found herself melting under the look. She gripped his hand a little tighter as they walked as slowly as possible back to her house. "… I'm your number one girl…" Hitomi grumbled after several minutes of comfortable silence.

._._.

Sayaka couldn't help staring incredulously at the scene before her. When she had left Kyoko, the redhead had been isolated with just the one goat. Now, there were many, many goats flocked around the bench they had been sitting on. In the center of the mass was Kyoko, looking so grumpy people mistook her for one of those demon gargoyles that ward off evil spirits. Sayaka couldn't even get close to her.

"Er, Kyoko? What the heck happened here?" Sayaka called out in bemusement.

"Well, Sayaka, it's obvious that when I defeated their leader I became their new Master!" Kyoko practically snarled back at her.

Sayaka raised a brow. "Really?"

"No, damn you! They're out to get me!" Kyoko hollered, completely pissed off.

"Then get out of there, Goat Whisperer!" Sayaka said incredulously, annoyed that Kyoko seemed to blame this on her too. Fuming, Kyoko got to her feet and waded through the crowd of goats toward Sayaka, grumbling all the while about 'waiting for your slow ass to come back'.

"You seem to be feeling better." Sayaka noted when Kyoko finally reached her.

Kyoko merely shrugged, not really agreeing. It felt like her earlier sickness had been replaced by aggravation, and those were both annoying feelings, so it wasn't like her condition improved any. "So, did you get bit?"

"…Bit?"

"Yeah, did you get rabies, or what? 'Cause I'm half sure I got rabies from that freaking goat earlier and I'm taking you down with me." Kyoko reminded the blunette.

"Hitomi doesn't have rabies!" Sayaka reacted appropriately. "And no, she didn't bite me!"

"Tch." Kyoko displayed her disappointment, much to Sayaka's irritation. "So what should we do now?"

"Well, everyone decided to go home when I saw them last, so we should probably get going too." Sayaka said tiredly, eager to leave and hit the bed.

"Leave? But it's early." Kyoko protested. Sayaka looked up at the sky, noting the silver disc of the moon's outline high overhead and she questioned Kyoko's sense of 'early'. "Besides, why the hell would I leave when I haven't had some funnel cake yet?"

"Ah jeez!" Sayaka slapped her hands over her eyes and rubbed her nose. "You just got over a sugar crash and you're thinking about funnel cakes?"

"Hey, I wasn't sick. My stomach just needed to be beaten into submission."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Whatever. But how can you go to a festival and not eat funnel cakes?"

Sayaka narrowed her eyes at the other girl. "I don't want to buy you funnel cake, you'll get spoiled."

"Who said anything about buying?" Kyoko said with a devious grin, already walking off in another direction. Was she tracking down the funnel cake stand by smell? Sayaka would never know. Either way, sooner or later they found themselves in front of the funnel cake stand and Sayaka had to give in and buy some for Kyoko, since the other girl insisted she was going to get them one way or the other. After that, Sayaka convinced Kyoko to compromise and the redhead agreed to go home with her, all the while glancing longingly around her at all the things she had yet to try out at the circus. Although Kyoko insisted Sayaka go by herself, Sayaka wanted to make sure Kyoko wouldn't go missing on her again.

So they left Walpurgisnacht behind with funnel cakes in hand. Kyoko happily dug into her carnival snack as they walked down illuminated streets, getting powder on her face. Sayaka sighed and passed her own deep fried and powdered dough to the other girl, not feeling up to eating the snack. She was feeling more melancholic than anything else. Now that her feelings for Kyosuke were out in the open, all that was left was the sense that she had to do something with them. Sayaka meant what she said to Hitomi; she wasn't going to just give up on Kyosuke. She was going to have to tell him. And she wasn't too thrilled with that prospect.

"Hey, you never did take advantage of our deal." Kyoko piped up suddenly, almost startling Sayaka from her melancholic ponderings. "Didn't you say you had something planned? I'm disappointed, you ended up being anti-climatic. Should've known!" Kyoko finished her rant by taking the finishing bites of hers and Sayaka's funnel cake. She looked rather happy for being whiny.

"We're taking a detour!" Sayaka declared, glad for something to take her mind off matters at hand and taking an abrupt turn to her left.

"Eh? For what?" Kyoko said in a whiny voice.

"I need to do some shopping. " Sayaka pointed out a grocery store ahead of them. "Considering the last time I went shopping I had my food stolen."

"But you were just buying shitty food." Kyoko deadpanned. "Unless you're running out of shitty food, in which case that would be a problem for me." Sayaka rolled her eyes at her expected response.

When they went in, Kyoko smiled at the thought that she would be able to just shop without being under scrutinizing suspicion because she wasn't dirty, raggedy or alone today. It was kind of nice, but annoying at the same time. Doing something like this wasn't something Kyoko should get used to. After all, it had to end at some point.

While they were in there Sayaka grabbed food, snacks, cooking ingredients, and even a hair brush. Upon asking, Sayaka said that something had to be done about Kyoko's hair maintenance so she needed her own brush. In response, Kyoko took off down the aisle riding their shopping cart, knocking over a few people and a cereal display, yelling something about hair freedom. Sayaka yelled at her when she finally caught up, then insisted Kyoko give her a turn on the cart.

They eventually left the place with their hands full. Sayaka's with grocery bags, Kyoko's with a huge box.

"I can't believe you bought these!" Kyoko said with a huge grin, cradling the box she was holding like a precious treasure. "Chunky Monkeys!"

"I don't even know what the hell I just bought." Sayaka grumbled. Kyoko looked offended.

"Oh c'mon, _Chunky_ _Monkey ice cream_! Banana ice cream with chocolate chunks and nuts!" Kyoko attempted to enlighten Sayaka, but like all her previous efforts to enlighten Sayaka, she failed miserably.

"Well, you are what you eat." Sayaka snickered. Kyoko narrowed her eyes dangerously at the other girl. Unfortunately, she had to hold her box so she couldn't punch Sayaka. She settled for trying to kick her instead. She caught Sayaka at the back of the knee and Sayaka went down, a swear word making it halfway out of her mouth before she smothered it. She swung a bag of groceries at Kyoko and it smacked against her rump.

"Joke's on you! That's my fetish!" Kyoko crowed, referring to being smacked with food. The blunette made the expected shocked, appalled, and blushing face, and mumbled how she was embarrassed to even know Kyoko and ignored the longhaired girl for the rest of the walk. Kyoko just displayed that infuriating self-satisfied grin. Sayaka decided it was time to wipe that smile from the other girl's face.

"Detour!" Sayaka declared a second time, taking an abrupt turn to her right. Kyoko stared suspiciously after her and followed reluctantly. Sayaka led them to the front door of a house and immediately knocked.

"Oi, where are we and why are we here?" Kyoko needled the shorthaired girl and she took a step back, ready to bolt at a moment's notice. Sayaka didn't have to answer since the door was answered immediately. In the doorway was the guy from the restaurant that Kyoko got them kicked out of. Specifically the one who called her the chunky monkey thief as Sayaka dragged Kyoko away, the redhead flipping the man off while laughing all the while.

Suffice to say, the man did not look pleased with their sudden appearance. He actually looked offended that Sayaka would bring such a disgrace to his very home. His face turned red with fury and he attempted to slam the door in their faces, but Sayaka put her foot in the doorway.

"Kaburagi-san!" Sayaka grunted with a pleading voice. "Hear us out!"

The man, who apparently Sayaka knew, swung the door open and stared the blunette down in disappointment. "You know Sayaka, you used to be good girl. I remember you and your mother coming by the restaurant every day. And now you're hanging with the likes of dirty riffraff. Her kind has no place in this city!" He looked pointedly at Kyoko, who looked pissed. Did they just come here to be judged by the likes of this asshole? Kyoko was ready to walk away and come back later with vandalizing equipment.

Sayaka faltered at the mention of her mother, but she came here with a goal and damn it all if she didn't accomplish anything here. "Who I choose to hang out with is none of your concern!" Sayaka shouted back, not doing a very god job of holding back her own anger. "And if that's how you're going to treat her, then I don't want to go back to your stupid restaurant anyway! Your kind has no place in humankind!" Screw it, she'll get mad. Kyoko looked almost impressed.

Sayaka was breathing heavily, and she tried to reign herself in with some calming breaths that she's often used around Kyoko. "Unfortunately, we do owe you something." She turned to Kyoko and gestured for her to put down the box of Chunky Monkeys. Kyoko glared at her fiercely, as if wishing death on her with her whole being for even thinking of taking away this treat. Annoyed and impatient, Sayaka grabbed the box herself and threw it at the man's feet. "Here's some compensation for what you lost. I know it's probably not nearly enough, but…" Gritting her teeth, Sayaka bowed low to him in apology and held it there. Kyoko was disgusted by what was happening.

After holding the bow for several seconds, Sayaka straightened up, nodded decisively, turned on her heel and marched back to the street. The man's stupidly stunned expression never left his face.

The walk back was surely awkward for Sayaka. Kyoko buzzed with unspoken disgusted and angry words of disapproval, but kept her mouth shut because she knew this was part of their deal. Sayaka was radiating with her own stubborn and righteous silence. Such was their disapproval for each other that the very air transmitted their thoughts. The redhead really wanted to smack sense into the other girl though. "I take responsibility for my own actions." Kyoko hissed under her breath.

"Ever think about how your actions are affecting the people around you?" Sayaka said under her breath. For some reason they were speaking quietly in a way that people wouldn't be able to tell they were speaking from afar.

"There are no other people around me." Kyoko responded with a sneer.

Sayaka sniffed and looked at her shoes as they walked. "Yeah, but… there's me, right?" she asked quietly, as if searching for any sense of a connection between them.

Kyoko faltered, glancing at Sayaka with wide eyes before turning her face away completely. "You shouldn't talk. Your whole deal with that guy makes all the people around you worry. Did you know that? I've only known you a little while, and that's the only shit I ever hear about from your friends." Kyoko's words came out biting and she completely disregarded what Sayaka had said before.

The shorthaired girl scowled at the ground, Kyoko words having the desired effect on Sayaka's already weak countenance. "What the heck was the point of that stupid deal if we can't help but break it?" Sayaka almost laughed with the absurdity of it all. "Weren't we supposed to be trying to understand each other?"

"Then why?" Kyoko finally turned back to the other girl. "Help me understand. What the hell was the point of apologizing to that creep and humiliating yourself?"

"Why?" Sayaka was taken aback, like she'd been asked the most elementary question in the world. "Because it was the right thing to do."

"Bullshit." Kyoko responded immediately, looking annoyed. "Right and wrong is subjective. In his eyes, us hanging out was 'wrong'. To me, sucking up to him was 'wrong', and to you it was 'right'. There was no point in doing right by him. In the end you're wasting your money for nothing."

"If right and wrong are subjective, then I don't really have to listen to your personal views, do I?" Sayaka said with a smartass smirk, making Kyoko growl at her.

"And how about you?" Sayaka shot back. "Why do you do these things? Why do you steal food?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Kyoko gestured at the bag of groceries in Sayaka's hand. "I eat because I'm hungry. I eat to live."

"But what do you live for?" Sayaka asked in exasperation. "I don't know if you're a runaway or a criminal... Why did you even decide to stay with me?"

"I'm surviving, okay?" Kyoko ground out through clenched teeth. "That's the only thing I can do at this point. This body is all I have left in this stupid world and I'm going to feed the hell out of it if I want to!"

Sayaka considered Kyoko for a while, pondering something. "That sounds like a miserable existence to me. I'm the exact opposite way, I think. I don't think I can ever just 'survive'. If I can't 'live' I don't see the point of just surviving."

Kyoko scratched at her belly, really wishing she could claw this dress off her body and be back in what she was comfortable in. This conversation was making her skin crawl with very unnecessary emotions and heart-to-hearts. "But that still doesn't tell me why you're such a hardass about what you consider right and wrong. I don't get it; I don't get _you_."

They had just walked past a tall silver lamppost, and were crossing the brief spot of darkness until they reached the next light source. They were walking slowly because of their distracting conversation, so Kyoko couldn't see Sayaka's illuminated face for several moments. When they finally entered the realm of the next silvery light, Kyoko could see that Sayaka was somewhere else. Her eyes were distant and fixated on something that wasn't physically present. She was quiet for a long time, obviously thinking over Kyoko's question quite seriously.

"I… never knew my father." Sayaka finally spoke in a low voice. "But I heard a lot about him growing up. My mom always told me stories about how he was an important person and that he was a hero. I idolized him even when I never knew him. I wanted to be a hero just like my mom always talked about." Sayaka inhaled the crisp fall air in large quantities as she stared straight ahead. "But he's not a hero. How can a man who doesn't take care of his own kid be a hero? Turned out I was the result of an affair, and he has his own family somewhere out there. But one thing was true. He _is_ an important man. Important enough that he sends my mom checks every month to keep us just rich enough to keep quiet. His 'real' family doesn't even know I exist."

"Wait, hold up," Kyoko said with a hint of amusement. "You say he's an important guy, but he's not like, the Prime Minister of Japan or anything, right?" she said in a joking manner. Sayaka looked at her side-long and stayed silent, making Kyoko falter greatly. "I mean, he's not really, is he..?"

"Like I said, I'm being paid to keep my mouth shut about who I really am." Sayaka answered in a disgusted tone, not really confirming or denying Kyoko's earlier statement. "I hate doing it, but it's not like me or my mother have much of a choice. I think she sends most of the money to me anyway.

"When I was old enough to learn the truth, I didn't know what to think. It was as if _that man_," Sayaka spat the words out with real bitterness. "It was as if he had set up an empty suit of armor in my life. A phantom of idealism he pretends to uphold, but I know he's just a liar."

Kyoko really wanted to make a crack about politicians being liars in general, but even Kyoko knew it would be in bad taste.

Sayaka gripped the bags of groceries in her hands tighter as she looked up to the night sky. "But I don't want to lose the feeling I had when I was little. I want to prove that just because I'm his daughter, it doesn't mean I would ever betray the people around me like he did. I want to be a hero to prove him wrong. I want to fill that suit of armor that he left behind." They stewed in unbearable silence after Sayaka trailed off. They both stared ahead of them as they walked the empty, half-illuminated street.

"That's noble and all," Kyoko said in a contemplative manner, "but you're still only doing it for yourself. Let me tell you about a real hero." Kyoko was wearing a slight smile, thinking that she would share tit for tat with Sayaka. If Sayaka was going to talk about her daddy issues, well then… "My father was my whole world. Now there was a hero. He was a good man, a good husband and pastor of our church. He was the type of person who would cry when he read the morning paper, and he would always go out of his way to help people. And yet," here Kyoko laughed. It was a dead laugh devoid of emotion, a sick parody of what it was supposed to represent. "And yet look where that got him. Crushed to dust by the very world he wanted to save."

Sayaka was staring at Kyoko with immense attention. This was the first she heard of anything about Kyoko's past or life. She had always avoided asking because she wanted to hear about it from Kyoko's own mouth in her own time. But she was still being vague and Sayaka was having a hard time understanding just what circumstances led to now. After several seconds, Sayaka decided to prompt Kyoko further. "So… What happened to him?" She dreaded and anticipated the answer.

It was strange. The moment she asked the question, it was as if something shut off in Kyoko. Sayaka watched as a light, that light which would glint in her crimson eyes that represented the very essence of Kyoko, simply died right off. As a result, her very aura changed into something that Sayaka didn't recognize. The result was chilling.

"I happened." was Kyoko's final answer, in a voice that didn't sound like her own.

Sayaka waited, but Kyoko was done with sharing. When that became apparent, Sayaka gathered her grocery bags in one hand and fished through them. Hesitantly, she pulled something out. Taking a few steps, she started walking directly next to Kyoko, who was walking with her head down and not seeing anything in front of her. Sayaka nudged gently at Kyoko's hand with something cold. Kyoko's fingers instinctively closed over whatever the item was and brushed against Sayaka's warm fingers briefly. They held the item between them for a moment, almost as if they were holding hands, until Sayaka let go of whatever she gave Kyoko and left it in the redhead's hands. The blunette didn't distance herself again.

Kyoko, looking almost bleary eyed, gazed at the object Sayaka had given her: a single small cup of Chunky Monkey ice cream. Looked like Sayaka hadn't given everything away to that douchebag. A smirk emerged on Kyoko's face when she realized Sayaka had resorted to her signature method of comfort: offering food. It was strange; Kyoko had felt so cold just a moment before. Now she felt inexplicably warmer as they walked side by side on a silver path.

"Dumbass. Even _I _can't eat so much in one night."

"Oh? Then I'll just take it back." Sayaka reached for the ice cream, but Kyoko evaded her reach and held it close to her chest like a precious object.

Sayaka smiled fondly at the other girl. "That's what I thought."

The night they connected was made of silver. The subtle touch of the silver moon upon their heads acknowledged their fateful conversation.

.-.-.

RANDOM OMAKE!

Meanwhile, at Mami's apartment!

"Mami. This. Is. The. Best. Cheesecake. Ever." Charlotte's voice trembled in reverence as she gazed amorously at the slice of cake that had been placed before her.

"I know, right?" Madoka concurred, albeit with less intensity. Gertrude and Elsa Marie nodded their agreements. It was somewhat of a tight fit for all the girls gathered to kneel around the low triangular table situated at the center of Mami's lush apartment. The hostess herself beamed with warmth at the compliments to her cooking skill.

"You're welcome to take some home with you, Charlotte-san, since you girls will be leaving tomorrow." Mami offered.

"You guys are leaving tomorrow?" Madoka asked with disappointment. The Magical Girls nodded.

"Turns out, we're not even supposed to be here!" Elsa Marie said with a laugh. "Rumor is some lady called us here while she had been drunk, but the owner up and packed everything and came running at a moment's notice since her company offered a ton of money. It was a miracle we even got the place set up in one day without the city exploding! Can you believe that?"

"Hehe…" Madoka fidgeted uncomfortably, knowing the 'drunk lady' from the story had most likely been her own mother. "No, I can't believe it…"

"I'll take you up on that offer on the cake!" Charlotte piped up eagerly to Mami. "I know my mom would love this sort of cake. She's been kind of sick lately and can't eat cake as much as she would like." Charlotte's enthusiasm wavered at speaking about her mother back in her home town.

Mami patted the top of the small girl's head. "That's very thoughtful of you, Charlotte-san. I'm sure that'll make her very happy." Charlotte's spirit seemed to pick up with the blonde's words of encouragement.

"I think if I really did become a Magical Girl in real life, I'd wish for my mom to have all the cake she wants!"

"That's a good wish!" Madoka said excitedly.

Gertrude looked surprised. "Why wouldn't you just wish for your mother's sickness to be cured?" she inquired.

"…" Charlotte's expression froze on her face for several seconds before she shot up from her sitting position. "WHY DIDN'T I EVER THINK OF THAT?" she exclaimed, making the ultimate realization.

"Um, it's not like we can make real wishes anyway…" Mami tried to placate her.

Madoka sighed to herself as she watched everyone have fun in their cute costumes. 'Once again, I'm the only one not contracted…" Madoka took a pause, wondering why she had chosen to think the phrase 'once again'.

Homura felt like she might as well have been watching everything from outside the window for all the attention she was getting in this chapter.

* * *

><p>AN- Random scene at the end is random, but I wrote it at the last minute and couldn't think of an appropriate place to fit it in.

Thank you to RPPuzzle, who undertook the task of beta'ing for me and trying to make me look smarter than I actually am, (which I'm sure was quite the difficult task, so she deserves cookies and hugs!) And thanks for the support I've been receiving so far! I know I tend to be slow when it comes to writing, so I appreciate all the readers putting up with my slowness XD


	10. Happy to see me?

_**CAPITULO 10**__**: **__**"Happy to see me?"**_

"It's a shame you have to leave already." Mami sighed as Madoka and Homura put on their shoes in the entrance. Madoka smiled apologetically at her sempai.

"Yeah, but you know we have school tomorrow and I've already missed my curfew."

Mami smiled at the younger girl. "It's cute that you have a bedtime, Madoka." She paid no heed to Homura's undisguised glare. Madoka laughed in embarrassment.

"More cake for us!" Charlotte called playfully from the next room. There were responding cheers from Elsa Marie and Gertrude.

"It was very nice to meet you!" Madoka called back in genuine gratitude. "I hope we see each other again and have some more fun together!" The group of circus performers voiced their agreement before busying themselves with Mami's treats. Homura was already standing by the door, silently beckoning Madoka to follow her.

"I'll see you two at the Archery Club tomorrow," Mami said with a wink as the pair stepped out into the hall. Madoka snapped into a salute at Mami's words.

"Of course, Captain!" Mami laughed in delight at Madoka's seriously cute antics. Homura just gave a curt nod and a simple, "We'll be there."

When the door to Mami's apartment shut closed behind them, enclosing the pair in a delicately decorated hallway, Madoka looked at Homura expectedly. The raven haired girl actually shifted her feet in brief discomfort. "What is it, Madoka?"

"Isn't it time?" Madoka inquired in a serious tone of voice. Homura maintained Madoka's gaze before breaking away. "You kept looking at the clock in there. I figured it was time, and that you didn't want to do anything in front of the other girls." Homura sighed quietly. While part of her was happy that Madoka had realized a detail like that and acted for her sake, she couldn't help feeling slightly ashamed and distressed that Madoka knew about this aspect of her life, the part of her life that was ruled by time. "You don't have to be embarrassed about it," Madoka smiled angelically at the taller girl. "At least, not with me!"

A slight hesitant smile appeared on Homura's face. "I'm not embarrassed." Homura murmured to Madoka, wary of the other girl's ability to disarm her so easily. From a pocket she recovered a small bottle of prescription pills. "I merely prefer to keep my private life private." Madoka frowned as she watched Homura take several capsules from the bottle and dry swallow them.

"It's that secretive attitude that's keeping you from making other friends!" Madoka chastised gently. A slight shudder went through Homura's body as the pills took effect. She swallowed the last bit of aftertaste the medicine left behind and glanced at Madoka.

"I'm not… putting up a wall with you, am I?" Homura seemed more insecure than usual as she asked this question, a hint of alarm in her voice. Madoka couldn't help letting the downturn of her mouth slip away naturally when those violet eyes opened up to her. "Even if you did, I'd tear it down!" Madoka proclaimed, taking Homura's hand and leading them to the elevator. Thank god for Madoka, Homura thought to herself. She wasn't the first person to think that nor will she be the last.

.-.-.

The door to Sayaka's apartment was clumsily opened. Shuffling steps and muffled grunts punctuated the entrance of two girls, their grocery bags were carelessly dropped by the entrance. It was dark inside and it took several moments for someone to bother fumbling for the light switch. There was something of a small struggle going on as soon as the door was kicked shut. Sayaka had a firm hold on Kyoko's body, and the redhead was struggling in a way that suggested she wasn't _really_ trying to get away. Kyoko growled in frustration and dissatisfaction, making Sayaka giggle mischievously in anticipation.

"I swear to god Sayaka, if you tease me," Kyoko panted as the back of her knees hit the couch's arm and she was pushed down. Kyoko then shuffled backwards until she hit the other side of the couch, keeping a wary eye on Sayaka the whole time.

"You'll what?" the evil grin easily detectable in Sayaka's question. "You brought this on yourself, so you just sit there and _take it_." Sayaka hopped over the couch arm and crawled towards Kyoko, stopping to kneel just short of where she was sprawled. With her finger she motioned for Kyoko to turn around. With extreme reluctance Kyoko slowly swiveled her body so that her back was facing Sayaka.

Kyoko bit her lip and closed her eyes in shame, though blood bloomed across her face and neck. Sayaka had sounded all too pleased when she said that, but Kyoko had no choice but to submit in this case. She did bring it on herself after all…

Sayaka wasn't being all that gentle either. In fact, she took to her task of touching Kyoko with a zeal that surprised both of them. Kyoko had no choice but to just sit there and take what was being done to her, biting her lip even harder in order to muffle her sharp intake of breath.

"Seriously Kyoko, when was the last time you've _combed your hair_?" Sayaka asked in frustration as she attempted to run a brush through Kyoko's hair.

"Fuck you, Sayaka. Seriously, _fuck you_." Kyoko growled in contempt, not in the least bit amused that she was being forcibly groomed like some kind of pet that had escaped into bad weather.

Sayaka laughed in an "as if!" kind of way. "Not my fault you lost at rock paper scissors!" Sayaka grunted as she diligently untangled unruly locks of flame-colored hair. Kyoko ground her teeth together when her hair was pulled particularly hard. For Kyoko, the hands in her hair felt too good not to be considered molestation. That's why she couldn't decide whether she should start yelling "RAPE RAPE RAPE!" and throw Sayaka out the nearest window or jump the unsuspecting blunette in a flare of physical stimulation.

"Kyoko, you've got to stop squirming!" Sayaka demanded.

"I can't help it." Kyoko growled by way of response. Sayaka rolled her eyes and tried to take a different approach to get Kyoko to loosen up. She placed a gentle hand atop Kyoko's head and soothingly ran her fingers through the unruly hair.

"Hey, relax, okay? You're too stiff. This can be nice if you let it." Sayaka murmured gently, letting her hand slide down Kyoko's hair and rub her shoulder. Her efforts were for naught since Kyoko stiffened up even more, but for entirely different reasons. Sayaka didn't realize it, but she was subjecting Kyoko to what felt like physical torture, and the redhead thought she would just die from how hard she was blushing.

Sayaka detected that Kyoko wasn't exactly enjoying herself and sighed, giving up on getting Kyoko to loosen up. Oh well, all that mattered was getting this girl groomed, and Sayaka sure as hell was going to feel a lot better once this task was done. Of course, since Sayaka was kneeling behind Kyoko, she couldn't see the blush that indicated that Kyoko was enjoying this a little too much and was uncomfortable with the implications.

'I am _not_ enjoying this,' Kyoko thought resolutely. 'I will not relax. I won't. She can't make me.' However, due to Sayaka's handiwork, Kyoko dozed off a few minutes later in spite of her previous resolve.

"… I should've known." Sayaka suppressed a grin as Kyoko nodded off and leaned against her. Sayaka had just finished up combing out Kyoko's hair anyway and let Kyoko rest her head against her chest. Sayaka was decidedly proud of herself for a job well done as she ran her fingers through the redhead's now smooth hair.

It really was nice hair, Sayaka thought as she rubbed Kyoko's scalp, easily lulling the girl into deeper sleep. It was deep red, long, and shiny; Sayaka would play with it all day if Kyoko would let her. Even though she was reluctant to stop, the redhead was still in her clothes so she had to be woken up. "Hey, Kyoko, wake up, you have to get undressed!" Sayaka gently shook the slumbering girl by the shoulders. "C'mon, time for pancakes and waffles!" Sayaka said jokingly in a louder voice.

"Mleh?" Kyoko grunted groggily, her head attempting to steady itself atop her shoulders. "You can't make me relax damn it…" she mumbled in a sleepy voice. Sayaka grinned evilly before she lightly nudged Kyoko, making the girl tumble off the couch to the floor rather unceremoniously. It was a perfect face**-**plant and Sayaka wished she had a number ten card to hold up in the air. But she knew she had to run instead, and run she did.

Using her face to break her fall only left Kyoko stunned for a just few seconds before she jumped up like a scandalized cat and ran after Sayaka. The other girl yelped at the speed with which Kyoko came at her despite her head start. The redhead chased Sayaka through the kitchen and back to the living room. Sayaka tried to put distance between them by rounding the couch and feigning the direction she was going to run. This led to the two running around the sofa in circles until Kyoko jumped over the damn thing and pounced with the frustration of a starving polar bear. She took her prey down as swiftly as a practiced huntress, and the struggling blunette had no chance of escape.

"Damn you!" Kyoko growled as she sat on Sayaka's lower back. "I don't see any pancakes or waffles!"

"That's what you're mad about?" Sayaka said back incredulously, struggling on the floor against the girl sitting on her back. Kyoko laughed sadistically. Of course that wasn't the only thing she was mad about, what with the violation of her head and dropping her on the floor, but any excuse was worth being able to pin Sayaka to the ground in this manner and get revenge. Now it was her turn to do the touching!

Kyoko smiled wickedly down at her prey, brandishing her hands like claws. "This is payback!" She then proceeded to mercilessly tickle Sayaka's sides. The blunette was startled by this form of assault and laughed uncontrollably.

"Nohahahahoho! Stopahahaha! I'm sohaharyyy!" Sayaka managed to apologize between bouts of forced laughter. After a minute of torture, Kyoko paused to gloat.

"Oh, you'll really be sorry once I'm done with you." Kyoko was having too much fun with this. After using the pause to catch her breath, Sayaka took the opportunity to try and free herself. She pushed herself off the ground and rolled over so that she could face Kyoko and knock her off at the same time.

Since Kyoko had been straddling Sayaka's back, when the blunette suddenly rolled over under her, it resulted with Sayaka's hip brushing roughly against a very iffy place between Kyoko's legs. Kyoko was momentarily stunned at the lightning bolt of sensation and gasped loudly. This also resulted in Sayaka swiftly knocking Kyoko off of her with a shove once she was on her back facing Kyoko. Now Kyoko was the one sprawled on her back, staring at the ceiling with her mouth agape. Sayaka sat up and grinned.

"What was that about me being sorry?" Sayaka smiled breathlessly at a still stunned Kyoko. She was quite a sight to behold, all breathless and disheveled from Kyoko's tickling, and the redhead really couldn't find words for a moment. So naturally she answered with actions.

The yellow dress Kyoko wore to the circus smacked Sayaka's face in a rather unladylike manner. Sayaka paused before pulling the dress off her head to bravely face the sight that awaited her. Kyoko was lounging against the floor in a more relaxed manner now that she was in her underwear and gave Sayaka her best winning smile.

Sayaka sighed deeply and shook her head. "You're right, you've made me extremely sorry." she muttered, bunching up the dress into a ball and tossing it back into Kyoko's face. "Well, I wanted to get you out of those clothes anyway, so this all works out." The redhead huffed as she caught the dress before it hit her face.

"So you admit that was your goal all along?" Kyoko provoked with a mischievous grin.

"Why must everything turn out unnecessarily sexual with you?" Sayaka asked in disbelief before she held her hand up to stop Kyoko's expected response. "Whatever. Tomorrow is a school day, and it's late enough as it is." Sayaka gave Kyoko a warning look. "Don't expect to sleep in my bed again."

Kyoko scoffed and joined her hands behind her head to lie on the floor more comfortably. "Never asked. The floor suits me just fine." she growled, annoyed that her naked body and winning smile didn't get as much of a reaction from Sayaka as she had been hoping for. Sayaka regarded Kyoko for a moment before she got up from the floor and headed for her room, ready to be rid of her own clothes. Before she reached her door she turned back.

"And you'll be here when I wake up, right?"

Surprised by the question, Kyoko twisted her head towards Sayaka to see the girl's face seriously regarding her. "Yeah. I'll be here when you wake up." Kyoko finally answered, mustering up something of a small reassuring smile. She was sure it was half-assed, but Sayaka seemed to accept her words all the same. When Sayaka disappeared into her bedroom, Kyoko buried her face in her dress and groaned as loud as she could.

She couldn't sleep for a long time. Crashing on Sayaka's floor in her underwear was plenty comfortable for her, but Kyoko remained wide awake and staring at the ceiling many hours into the night. Something Homura had said was really bothering her. Was she really being tamed by staying with Sayaka? 'Tame' might not be the right word, but that was what it was starting to feel like.

Sayaka seemed to think that by simply putting a saucer of milk near her front door would keep Kyoko here (and she would be right in that sentiment). BUT! Kyoko could admit to herself that she was starting to feel the beginnings of an attachment to the girl. Hell, more than an attachment. It was probably safe to say at this point that Kyoko was attracted to Sayaka. Kyoko blushed slightly as she quietly admitted this fact to herself.

Kyoko kind of liked Sayaka Miki – boyfriend drama notwithstanding – in the pants. It wasn't exactly a mind-blowing revelation, just a simple statement of fact. Huh. It only took about a second for Kyoko to accept it. Earlier she had been skeptical about her own body's reactions, but now that she thought about the events that had transpired throughout the day, it was obvious enough.

The thing was though, what was Kyoko willing to do with this information? Two options came to mind; the first one was obvious as Kyoko turned her head to give the door to Sayaka's bedroom a lusty stare. Ah, but therein laid the problem: Sayaka would reject her quicker than Kyoko could get naked. Besides, that would probably turn into a prickly situation very quickly.

Kyoko removed her gaze from the closed door and went back to scowling at the ceiling. The other option that had come to mind was the natural knee-jerker reaction for her: get the hell out of here. And fast. She didn't come to Mitakihara to make friends or get attached. In fact, her original plan was just to stay for a few weeks before moving on. It was like that for every city she passed through so far and this one shouldn't have been any different. Somebody like _Sayaka_ shouldn't have been an issue. Moreover, it would without a doubt be mentally healthier for everyone involved if Kyoko left before she got too attached. _Especially_ for Kyoko herself.

A third option presented itself in her mind that gave her pause as she considered it. It was a warped, unexpected and annoying option. But Kyoko liked those kinds of options.

These were the thoughts that plagued Kyoko in the early hours of the morning.

As for Sayaka, only one thought plagued her the moment her eyes awoke the very next morning. "Crap, I'm late for school!" She didn't even have to look at the clock to know she was late. Her body could just instinctively recognize that the sun was not supposed to be that high when she woke up. So she didn't dare look at the clock for fear that school was already over.

She barrel-rolled out of bed, getting out of her pajamas in record time and straightening out in front of her closet. She threw it open, mentally deciding she didn't have time to shower. Then she realized that she had left her school clothes in the laundry room.

"I'm late! I'm late!" she chanted in a panic as she burst out of her room naked and dashed across the foyer to the wash room. However, on the way there, a particular aroma caught her attention and she stopped dead in her tracks when she passed the kitchen. Kyoko was at the stove, wearing an apron over a black tank top. Kyoko grinned broadly upon seeing Sayaka.

"Yo." Kyoko quickly did a glance-over of Sayaka's naked body. "Happy to see me?"

"You're here," Sayaka stated rather dumbly, "with pancakes."

"I did say I would be here when you woke up." Kyoko turned back to the stove. "You like your pancakes fluffy?"

"Crispy, please." Sayaka responded automatically. It was sort of surreal, the normality of this situation. She honestly half-expected Kyoko to be gone by morning again, but this was a sort of pleasant surprise for Sayaka. It'd been too long since she woke up with someone else in the apartment.

"Weren't you saying you were late for something?" Kyoko asked as she carefully flipped a pancake in the frying pan. It had been a while since she had done anything like this, so she was out of practice.

"Gah." Sayaka made a panicked noise when she realized the truth in Kyoko's words and became occupied with her task of getting dressed once again.

"Heh." Kyoko's amused gaze followed Sayaka out of the room, only growing more appreciative as she appreciated one specific area. Sayaka had a rather nice rear end. After a moment she realized something was sizzling a bit too much and she hurriedly turned her attention back to the pancakes. "Well, she _did_ say she wanted them crispy," she muttered in dissatisfaction as she slid charred pancakes onto a nearby plate on the counter. Her first attempt at cooking hadn't gone as well as she expected. Oh well, didn't matter.

It took thirty seconds for Sayaka to get dressed, a new personal record to be sure. She stumbled out of the laundry room and into the bathroom, quickly grabbing an elastic band and tying her hair back in a short messy ponytail with most strands hanging by her face. She splashed water on her face and attempted to brush her teeth with her razor until she realized her mistake with a start and pulled the razor away from her mouth. She staggered a bit as she attempted to put on her thigh-high stockings while running out of the bathroom. Do not try this at home.

Apparently she had enough time to stop at the kitchen, roll up a pancake, and cram it into her mouth with one bite. Kyoko watched in surreal bemusement as Sayaka chewed and swallowed. "That was good. Thanks." Sayaka flashed her roommate a quick approving grin before she went to grab her school bag.

The compliment managed to bring about a pleased flush to Kyoko's features. "I have a hard time believing that when you can stuff burnt food down your throat," the redhead managed to call out.

Sayaka put her shoes on, grabbed her bag, and was finally ready to go. "Going!"

"Hey, Sayaka!" Sayaka stopped when Kyoko called her, looking back at the redhead curiously but impatiently. Kyoko scratched at her cheek in brief self-consciousness. "Um, just wanted to say… Th-thanks. For everything." Kyoko trailed off, looking somewhere off to the side rather than at Sayaka herself.

"EH?" Sayaka exclaimed, that being the last thing she had expected the other girl to say. At the reaction, Kyoko finally looked at the blunette with a slightly disgruntled grin.

"Never mind. Get out of here already, dumbass."

But Sayaka just kept staring at her with a dumbfounded expression. Why would Kyoko suddenly thank her? What brought this on? And what exactly was she being thanked for? She stared harder at the redhead with suspicion. "Kyoko, why would you..?" But all it took was a brief glance at a wall clock hanging somewhere behind Kyoko's head to make Sayaka's eyes bug out of her head before she was out the door faster than a horse on steroids.

The slight grin Kyoko had been displaying slowly slipped from her face as she stared at the empty apartment entrance where Sayaka had gaped at her a few seconds before. A vacant look settled on her features as she removed the apron she had found in the kitchen, revealing her regular street clothes underneath. She slipped on her boots and put on her jacket. And as an afterthought, she went to the hanging wall clock Sayaka had looked at, and corrected the time on it. Sayaka must've forgotten it was daylight savings time.

Grabbing her own share of her breakfast, Kyoko slipped out the door with nary a sound. Giving the apartment door one last considering look, Kyoko simply walked away. This was a simple matter, as she had walked away from many more important things in her life. 'After all, I only said I would be there when she woke up.' Kyoko thought to herself as she absentmindedly chewed on her charred pancake. She grimaced. 'This tastes like shit,' she thought as she stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the ground floor. 'How could Sayaka eat this stuff?' She found her mind wandering to Sayaka's thankful smile, and within the confines of the elevator walls, she allowed herself to blush once again.

But then the elevator doors opened and Kyoko continued walking away from… whatever this was. She shook off any excess emotion left in her before she finished off the food item, and stepped into the sunlight.

.-.-.-.

Lines of ducks scattered, old people gaped, and children screamed when a blue flash tore through the street. "OUTTA MY WAY!" Sayaka hollered as she ran as fast as she could down the street toward Mitakihara High School. She ran past the place she would normally meet up with Madoka and Hitomi, but they weren't there.

Well, it was probably a given Hitomi wasn't there, but even Madoka thought Sayaka was _that_ late and went on ahead? Sayaka pushed herself even harder, going so far as letting out a battle cry that made any dog within a mile start barking.

By the time Sayaka spotted the school, her lungs and legs were burning and she was drenched in sweat, but she hoped she could still sneak into class without anyone the wiser. As she got closer, however, she was presented with a confusing sight. There were students milling about casually and walking calmly through the entrance of the school, which was weird because school started an hour ago, right?

Sayaka weakly slowed down her Olympic sprint, staggering to the entrance on weak, shaking legs and looking about her in befuddlement. She was panting harshly and other students were giving her strange looks or snickering. She stopped under the arching entrance that proclaimed the establishment as Mitakihara High School, and reluctantly pulled out her cell phone to check the time. She was an hour early.

"O-Oh, _HAH_ nothing like a _HAH_ good morning run! _HAH_" Sayaka said obnoxiously loud, face flushed red from the run and her raging embarrassment. Her legs were trembling and her uncontrollably hard breathing gave her an overall creepy impression. She regretted trying to cover up her obvious mistake as people were now avoiding looking at her completely. She probably looked like a pervert.

"S-Sayaka-chan!" a girly, breathy voice called out in distress. The blunette turned her head to see Madoka running towards her in the proper girlish fashion, wrists up and looking completely out of shape. "Sayaka-chan, you ran right past me! Why were you running so fast?" Madoka pouted as she came up next to the girl in question.

"I… thought I heard a scream and came running!" Sayaka lied unconvincingly, trying to calm her heaving chest. But Madoka seemed to buy it.

"Eh? Is everything alright?" Madoka asked in concern, looking about her as if looking for the scream victim.

"Of course! Super Knight of Justice Sayaka-chan is on the scene after all!" Sayaka laughed, throwing an arm around Madoka's shoulder, looking like she was giving her a hug when in actuality she was trying to lean on the smaller girl since her legs felt like they were going to give out on her.

"You're just so reliable, Sayaka-chan!" Madoka said agreeably, taking Sayaka's weight and leading them to the nearest bench.

'Thank God for Madoka.' Sayaka thought.

"Ne, Madoka," Sayaka spoke up after a few minutes of resting. "I'm in love with Kyosuke."

"EEEEHHHHHHH?" Madoka exclaimed, smacking her small hands to her cheeks in shock. Sayaka gave the girl an unconvinced side-long look.

"That sounded so fake."

Madoka dropped her hands and smiled sheepishly. "Well, you were so stubborn about keeping it a secret, I wanted to act extra surprised!"

Sayaka groaned and dropped her head down. "So I was that obvious, huh?"

Madoka rested a reassuring hand on Sayaka's shoulder. "You're an honest girl at heart. Lying to yourself doesn't suit you."

Sayaka looked ahead of herself listlessly. "Lying to myself, huh?" She didn't think that was exactly the case. More like, she always knew she had feelings for Kyosuke, but the more those feelings grew, the more she bundled them up tight. 'I wonder… why do I set myself up for failure like this?' Sayaka couldn't help thinking to herself bitterly. She never said anything. She never even considered telling him about her feelings before. Maybe… Maybe she figured that things would never change? That she would always be able to stay by his side and simply listen to his music? She had been content basking in his brilliance that way.

"_Sayaka, make sure to stay with Kyosuke-kun, okay? He is a very talented boy who will surely be very famous in the future! You'll make me very proud if you were able to bring home a boy like that!"_ Sayaka vaguely remembered those words being spoken to her when she was a little girl by her own mother.

Sayaka had taken her mother's words to heart. She stayed by his side. She fell in love. But somewhere within herself she had the feeling that she never quite belonged in that spot. Kyosuke was such a special person that one day he would grow wings and just fly away, leaving Sayaka behind forever. She was always afraid of that day. Perhaps that day had already come and gone. But Sayaka was still stuck with her compacted feelings. Feelings that in the past few days were bleeding out into the open ever since Kyoko unwittingly stabbed that bundle through the heart in the elevator. Her love was now an open wound, one that needed to be healed quickly lest infection ate away at her heart.

Her feelings were fully unraveled before her, loose and swaying. It would only take the least bit of effort for Sayaka to just let go of them and let them swirl into the wind and into Kyosuke's sight…

"You know, I'm not the one you should be telling that to anyway." Madoka interrupted Sayaka's musings, appearing in her line of vision and looking at Sayaka sternly. But the blunette had already had that thought, and she grinned widely at the pinkette.

"Yeah, I know. I'm working on it."

"_Ohhh_." Madoka appeared impressed by the decisiveness in her friend's voice and smiled back. "I'm glad to finally hear that." They settled into a content silence. Sayaka realized that she had friends supporting her through this; she never had to deal with this alone. She was all the more grateful to Madoka for silently lending her encouragement even when Sayaka was too self-involved to notice.

"Hm? What is it, Sayaka-chan?" Madoka inquired when she noticed the blunette simply staring at her. Madoka reached for her hair self-consciously. "Are my ribbons crooked?" Sayaka's look grew playful.

"You know, since you're my wife and everything," Sayaka gestured to Madoka with mock slyness, "it's only natural that I practice my confession on you."

Madoka blushed dutifully at Sayaka's words. Her hands fidgeted in her lap. "W-why would I help you be u-unfaithful to me?" she stuttered shyly, playing along with Sayaka's game, but embarrassed about the public display.

"It's only natural I have a mistress or two," Sayaka grinned mischievously.

"Eh? Kyosuke-kun is your mistress?" Madoka couldn't hide her amusement this time. "And who is that other Mistress you have? Kyoko-chan? Jeez, you're such a player, Sayaka-chan!" Madoka looked proud of the fact that she was able to turn Sayaka's game around on her. Sayaka worked her mouth as if fighting to find something to say as her face became progressively red. Madoka giggled, content to tease the blunette to that small extent.

Suddenly, Sayaka took the pinkette by the shoulders and made her face her. Her gaze was passionate and her face serious. "I'm in love with you."

"Wah-wah-wah-wah?" Madoka was shot through the heart instantly.

"All right, good practice, Madoka! I might be less nervous now!" Sayaka proclaimed, releasing her friend, who appeared to be dizzy from those lady-killing words.

"You two…" a voice near the pair spoke up in mock shock. They turned to see Hitomi standing there, hand to her mouth as she looked at the pair. "But I thought you only loved me, Sayaka!" she exclaimed, running away in the opposite direction dramatically.

"Ah!" Sayaka stood up and automatically ran after the green haired girl. "One of my mistresses!" However, due to her tired legs she didn't make it far and ended up tripping and falling on her face. The trio of girls shared a hearty laugh. It was almost as if everything was normal between them again.

'I'll tell him. I'll tell him today. I have to.' Sayaka thought to herself in resolution as they waited for classes to start. Now that she was fully invested in her decision, it was all Sayaka could think about. It was kind of like when she decided she would have that talk with Hitomi yesterday. She had no idea what she would say or how to go about it. She just knew she had to put her feelings out there and get this whole thing resolved once in for all, even if it killed her on the inside.

So yes, she'll wing the damn confession. The thought made her heart leap like an acrobat performer as they made their way through the crowded hallways. Through the glass walls and bars that surrounded each room Sayaka could easily spot the boy in question seated at his desk and surrounded by friends. Sayaka's legs suddenly felt like they were weighed down with lead and she slowed her pace to postpone the inevitable. Madoka noticed and took Sayaka's hand, giving it a squeeze of encouragement before leading her into the classroom. Sayaka flashed her friend an appreciative smile before letting go of her hand. The classroom was bustling with her classmates. Homura raised her hand in greeting when she spotted Madoka walking in. The pinkette waved merrily back, making the usually stoic student smile slightly at her.

Hitomi had walked ahead to give her boyfriend a warm greeting, which he returned full heartedly. Sayaka's mouth felt really dry as she walked by his desk. She was his friend; it'd be weird if she didn't greet him. Swallowing dryly, Sayaka raised her hand and waved at Kyosuke when they made eye contact. He smiled easily at her and she couldn't help smiling in return.

This wasn't so bad. It wasn't as if she had to confess to him immediately or anything. Hell, she's held this crap in for half her life! Surely she could wait out until the right moment. She would take her time, pace herself. Work her heart into a gradual state of apathy for the inevitable wound she would probably receive. Until then, acting natural was the best way to go Sayaka concluded when she opened her mouth to greet her crush.

"Morning, Kyosuke! I'm in love with you!"

'Haha, oh wow. Just kill me now.'

Sayaka Miki just confessed to the boy she loved in the briefest, most anti-climatic way possible.

The reaction was one to be expected. The room fell silent and Sayaka just knew she was being stared at. She could feel the eyes from all around, but she refused to look at them. She focused only on Kyosuke, since his reaction was the only one she cared about most. Even though she hadn't meant that comment to slip out so effortlessly. For one terrifying moment, as she stared into his grey eyes, it was like her whole life teetered on the edge of a precipice. And no matter how much she wheeled her arms, she was going to fall, fall, fall, fall, _fall…_

"Um," Kyosuke smiled brightly after a second of uncertainness. "Good one, Sayaka."

Kyosuke could plainly see the flash of hurt across Sayaka's face at his words, and he grew even more uncertain. All eyes were on them, and he suddenly felt like he was the odd one out on a secret. The flash of hurt was quickly erased and she set her mouth in a grim line of determination. He recognized that look; it was a look she'd wear when she rejected something. Kyosuke had witnessed that look when she'd told him about her father or the time when she confided to him that she didn't want her mother to remarry. He didn't like that look.

Sayaka stepped forward closer to his desk, ignoring the stares and pressing forward with her impulse. "I'm serious, Kyosuke. I love you. I've loved you since we were kids. I want to be your girlfriend."

Kyosuke couldn't help staring at the girl. It was just so sudden and without warning, he couldn't help his disbelief. He opened his mouth to ask is she was joking once again, but looking into Sayaka's earnest eyes it was plain as day that she wasn't. This was certainly not Kyosuke's first confession, but he had never expected one from his childhood friend. He glanced at Hitomi, who watched him almost as expectantly as Sayaka herself. She didn't look surprised or even worried, just waiting for his response.

The violinist turned his attention back to a stock-still Sayaka, who was looking at him with the most heartbreaking mixture of resignation and hope. He frowned, hating himself for making her go through this. "I am truly sorry Sayaka…"

Sayaka barely flinched at his words, breaking her gaze away as she swallowed the beginnings of a lump forming in her throat. Her heart which had previously been teetering plummeted down her chest through the floor. It _hurt_. She had expected this response, but damn if she wasn't prepared for this hurt. But she didn't want him to see her cry. "Don't be." She forced a half-smile on her face. "I just wanted you to know."

The bell that marked the start of the school day chose that moment to intervene. The students in the classroom shifted gawkily, still watching Sayaka expectantly for some kind of scene. Even their homeroom teacher, who had been standing by and watching the scene play out like a television drama, seemed reluctant to tell the students to get in their seats to start class. "Alright, class is starting!"

Sayaka went into automatic pilot and sat heavily at her desk. Her desktop lit up with her arrival and listed her schedule for the day. She really didn't want to be here right now.

It was then when the whispers started.

"Did you see that? Sayaka confessed to Kyosuke in front of everyone!"

"I don't know whether to think she's brave or just plain stupid."

"I thought they were already together…"

"I recorded it on my phone! Gotta share this."

The teacher cleared her throat to dispel the whispers and dove right into a spiel about high school being a place of study and not one to be distracted with petty cases of young love. Sayaka wished the floor would swallow her up and spit her back out on the other side of the world where no one knew her. She spent the class with her head buried in her arms.

The rest of the school day wasn't much better. When homeroom ended, Sayaka escaped the classroom as fast as she could, but the story had spread ahead of her.

"Did you hear? That girl confessed to that violin genius this morning."

"Ha! Like she had a chance! Who is she anyway?"

"Poor thing, she got shot down so quickly. I heard he even laughed at her!"

Sayaka grit her teeth and kept her eyes in front of her as she marched through the halls. Why was she still here? Damn it, all she wanted was a second of quiet to gather herself; she didn't need to be constantly reminded of her failure. It kept replaying in her head enough as it was. She really wanted to bang her head on the wall for her impromptu confession that had guaranteed everyone would know. It really was her fault. She felt so utterly stupid.

Her march led her to the nearest restroom and she practically kicked the door down and scared off any girl lingering in there with a fierce glare. Once the room was cleared Sayaka took to gripping the edges of the nearest sink. She was fighting valiantly, but she knew the tears were cracking the metaphorical dam behind her eyes and there really wasn't any stopping them. Her grip tightened and she stared hard at her warped reflection in the faucet head until her eyes became bleary with the incoming emotions.

The restroom door slowly opening and a soft "Sayaka?" in Madoka's concerned voice made the first few tears come effortlessly. Sayaka looked over at the pinkette and smiled sadly.

"Hey…" Her shaky smile and thick voice failed to reassure Madoka. "I really should have seen that coming, right?" Madoka wordlessly walked up to the other girl and tugged Sayaka into her arms. Madoka held her gently and Sayaka wrapped her own arms around her friend's back and dropped her forehead to the other girl's shoulder. Madoka rubbed her back and murmured soothing words while Sayaka cried against her.

This sucked. It felt like her feelings had been sucked out of her chest, leaving a gaping and empty feeling in its place. It was actually physically painful.

It took a few minutes, but Sayaka was able to calm herself down with Madoka there. She took a few shuddering breaths against Madoka's shoulder before lifting her head and wiping her eyes. "Geez, Madoka… Have you gotten taller?" she couldn't help noticing as she used the back of her hand to rub at her eyes. Madoka looked so close to tears herself that Sayaka paused. The other girl's bottom lip stuck out and trembled while her eyes swam with tears.

"Uuu… Sayaka…"

Sayaka couldn't help cracking up a little at the expression. Is that what she had looked like a moment ago? Madoka pouted and raised her fists like she was going to hit Sayaka but didn't.

"Are you okay now?" Madoka asked after a few seconds of Sayaka's choked laughter. Sayaka's smile faded a little as she seriously considered the question.

"I'm not okay. Not really." She took a deep breath and held it in for several seconds before she released it. "But I'm better. Thanks, Madoka." Sayaka placed a grateful hand on the shoulder she had cried on and felt guilty for leaving a wet spot there.

"Maybe I should take you to the nurse's office." Madoka considered quietly, but Sayaka shook her head.

"That's alright. I think if I don't distract myself with class right now, I'll go nuts. Heck, I might even manage to learn something today if I focus hard enough." the blunette joked half-heartedly.

Madoka didn't look like she agreed, but gave a consenting nod.

The following class, Sayaka really did try to focus all of her attention on the lesson, but Kyosuke's words were stuck in a loop inside her head. "_I am truly sorry, Sayaka…_"

Lunch was even worse. It was a time to allow the students to interact and spread the story even wider. Sayaka sat down with Madoka to eat at their usual spot. Hitomi would normally eat her lunch with them, but she had a boyfriend so it was only natural she wouldn't join them, or that's what Madoka told Sayaka to reassure her.

"She sure has guts, eating like nothing happened this morning."

Sayaka felt her body twitch at the voices around her. Her appetite was nonexistent at this point.

"She confessed to Kyosuke, right? He has a girlfriend, doesn't he?"

"And get this; his girlfriend is actually one of her friends!"

"What! No way!"

"It's true. His girlfriend is Hitomi-chan. They used to eat together all the time!"

Madoka tired to get Sayaka's attention. "Ignore them, Sayaka-chan."

"That pisses me off! If my friend confessed to my man, I'd never forgive her!"

"Right? It's disgusting how desperate that girl is for a man."

"Why is Sayaka such a bitch?"

The chair Sayaka had been sitting on scraped against the floor as the girl shot up to her feet with fury in her fists and words on her lips. She was blazing mad now and damn it if she wasn't going to take out her feelings on one of these gossipers!

However, a firm hand on her shoulder stopped her. Sayaka blinked several times in confusion before she focused her blue eyes on the person holding her back. The hand on her shoulder belonged to Hitomi, who was giving her a hard stare.

The classroom hummed with sudden anticipation of a confrontation between the two friends. Phones were pulled out of pockets and even students wandering the halls paused to stare through the glass walls.

"Hitomi?" Sayaka spoke up nervously. Hitomi looked almost as mad as Sayaka had been a moment ago, but her anger was concealed in a more refined manner. Hitomi released her grip on Sayaka and set down her bento lunch in the seat next to her. With an air of finality, she took her seat next to Sayaka. The students around them, who had been a expecting some sort of fight between Sayaka and Hitomi, were rather surprised by the move.

"Aren't you going to sit and have lunch with me, Sayaka?" Hitomi asked casually as she set up her lunch. Her voice was so relaxed; one wouldn't think she was making a statement with her actions. Wanting to do something other than looking dumbfounded, Sayaka plunked herself down into her seat and stared at Hitomi. The green haired girl tried her best to ignore the blunette's attention, but her blush won out. "What?"

Sayaka just broke out into a grin. Her friends just continued to surprise her today. "You're kinda cool, y'know that?"

Hitomi hid her answering smile behind a napkin. "I did know that."

The class went back to their own business, clearly disappointed by the lack of explosions.

"Sayaka-chan was plenty cool today, too!" Madoka piped up, obviously happy with the lightening mood. "I couldn't believe it when you confessed in front of everyone. My heart almost stopped. That was so brave of you!"

Sayaka's forehead clonked against her desk and she groaned. "I don't want to think about it anymore!"

"Well, Madoka's right. It was brave of you. As expected of my rival." Hitomi said conversationally. Sayaka lifted her head quickly and fixed Hitomi with a deadpan stare.

"I got rejected. Some rival I turned out to be."

"Don't think he'll just ignore this," Hitomi fixed her rival with a resigned look. "I know he'll want to talk to you further about your feelings. As well as he should. And I hope you can do so in a more private setting."

Sayaka blushed and looked away awkwardly. Half of her had hoped to get away with just the rejection and be done with the whole matter. But things just don't work that way. And Kyosuke wasn't the type of guy to let his friends suffer if he couldn't help it. That's why she loved him in the first place. "Where is Kyosuke anyway? Shouldn't you be eating with him?"

"He had a meeting for a scholarship he had to attend to." Hitomi answered smoothly; tactfully ignoring the slight bitter tone Sayaka had said her last sentence. "And just because I have a boyfriend now doesn't mean I'll forget about you two." Sayaka showed her displeasure at how mature Hitomi was by stealing something from the other girl's bento.

Madoka picked at her food with her chopsticks and sniffed. "I don't like to think you two as rivals. Friends are always better to have." she said quietly. Sayaka and Hitomi exchanged a glance and smiled at each other. Mutual was their instinct to dote upon their most honest and genuine member of their small group.

"Of course you're right, Madoka." Hitomi said with a bell-like laugh. "That's why I'm eating here. With my friends." She nodded to Sayaka. The blunette answered with a grateful look before turning to Madoka with a teasing grin.

"I dunno, Madoka… I'll make anyone who tries to steal you away my rival!" Madoka mock-pouted at the teasing, but she appreciated Sayaka returning to her normal playful attitude. "Speaking of rivals," Sayaka looked around her suspiciously. "I haven't seen transfer student around yet."

"Homura-chan said she had to go somewhere." Madoka said as she sucked her drink through a straw, looking out of the glass walls and into the hallways as if wishing the dark haired girl would appear as suddenly as she would go. Her shoulders drooped slightly at her sigh. Hitomi and Sayaka exchanged another glance. Madoka really was as easy to read as a book. How strange that she had managed to befriend someone who seemed the very definition of a brick wall.

.-.-.

"Ah**.**"

"Ah!"

Homura and Kyoko only seemed to notice each other when they got in each other's way. Kyoko had been strolling unhurriedly down the street, while Homura strode steadily up the street, both incidentally lost in thought. Neither were the types who would move aside for other pedestrians and so were suddenly faced with the dilemma of mentally willing the opposite person to get out of their paths with their stares alone. So it was only when their equally forceful looks met that they perceived each other's presence.

And neither seemed particularly thrilled to see the other.

* * *

><p>AN- Contrary to popular belief, I LIVE! I had two betas this chapter, RPPuzzle and Rhyno Holter. You guys are awesome!

Chapter titles courtesy of Rhyno Holter as well.


	11. You sure busted a lot of balls

CHAPPY ELEVEN

"You're in the way," Kyoko said as she tried to move around Homura on the sidewalk.

"Unfortunately, you're just the person I'm looking for." Homura said with a sigh, tripping Kyoko up with her foot, making the redhead stumble. Kyoko glowered at the other girl, determined to continue on her way.

"Fortunately, I'm leaving this place, so you don't have to say anything." Kyoko growled as she said this, striding purposefully away.

"Even if Ryu has it out for you?" Homura called after her.

"_Especially_ since that second-rate bastard has it out for me," Kyoko called back. Homura shrugged and watched the girl go.

"I thought I'd let you know that he's been keeping tabs on you." Kyoko paused at Homura's words, a frown pulling on her lips. If someone had been following her around, they'd be led directly to Sayaka. How troublesome.

"I beat the guy. He should be leaving me alone." Kyoko turned back to Homura, hands stuffed down her pockets. "I'm leaving this city for good, so he shouldn't even be a problem anymore."

"Would you bet on that?" Homura asked, gaze impassive.

"… Fucking chipotle sauce," Kyoko growled under her breath. She _wouldn't_ bet on it. Ryu was the type of guy who wouldn't let a grudge go, even if Kyoko beat him in a fight. And if she wasn't around he might start screwing with Sayaka to screw with her. "Sayaka's not my responsibility!" Kyoko said in exasperation. "Why do you care, anyway?"

"I don't. Not really." Homura answered blandly, moving to stand next to Kyoko. "Rather you could say I'm… invested in Sayaka's happiness."

Kyoko raised a brow. "The reason _being_?" she prompted.

Homura contemplated not answering, but figured she had nothing to worry about with Kyoko. "Madoka Kaname."

Kyoko tilted her head quizzically in response. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"Nothing… and everything," Homura said vaguely.

"Don't act coy. You want to get in her pants," Kyoko jibed with a smirk. "It's the worst kept secret I've ever seen."

"Don't be vulgar," Homura snapped. "Madoka wears skirts."

Kyoko rolled her eyes skyward. "Whatever. Just tell me what gives people the right to use me to deal with their own relationship problems? I'm _leaving_," she said pointedly as she stopped walking. Homura looked and noticed that they were near a bus stop.

"You won't," Homura said confidently.

"You think I won't?" Kyoko said angrily. "You have till the bus gets here to convince me to stay."

"You won't because the fact that you care about Sayaka is the worst kept secret in the world."

"I don't…" Kyoko started to deny automatically, but stopped at Homura's knowing look. The redhead narrowed her eyes and resisted the urge to stick her tongue out childishly at the stoic girl. "So what if I do?"

Homura forced herself to draw upon the patience she had carefully nurtured just for dealing with people with thick skulls. "I have information on Ryu, should you choose to stay." Homura watched the other girl with a cool expression. Kyoko kept her expression steady as she looked at Homura. They had something resembling a stare down as streams of people parted around them on the sidewalk.

Kyoko tilted her head as her look became curious. "Why Madoka?"

Homura's eyes narrowed slightly at the turn-around in the conversation. "What do you mean?"

"Madoka. Why do you care about her?" Kyoko prompted impatiently, snapping her fingers at Homura.

The dark haired girl considered the question. She knew the answer right away, she just wasn't sure how to phrase it in a comprehensible way. "Because… Madoka is… she's the only thing in this world that makes sense to me."

"I don't get it," Kyoko deadpanned in a clearly disappointed voice.

"I don't have to explain it," Homura said flippantly. "Why do you care for Sayaka?"

Kyoko mentally flinched at the question and she grimaced and looked away. "I don't know…" she grumbled, hand coming up to scratch at her cheek.

"Then perhaps you should stick around and try to figure that out." The deep rumble of the bus engine marked the arrival of the bus that Kyoko had intended to board. The small crowd at the corner lined up to board and Homura waited to see if Kyoko would too. "The bus is leaving."

"Yeah…" Kyoko looked reluctant to stay, but reluctant to leave at the same time. The bus hissed as the doors closed and Homura looked triumphant. Kyoko finally shook her head. "You know what? I'm not entirely convinced." The bus waited a few more seconds before pulling away from the curb and away from the duo. Homura raised a brow at Kyoko.

"You know what I don't get? You don't need me at all to get to Madoka," Kyoko pointed out, tone suspicious. "Explain that to me."

Homura sighed as if the thought aggravated her. "Sayaka is… opposed to me. I believe a happier, more open-minded Sayaka would allow me to have better chances at being closer to Madoka." Homura eyed the redhead. "From what I've seen, she's only like that when you're around."

Kyoko felt her chest tighten slightly at Homura's words. "You're nuts!" Kyoko accused. "She'll be happy to get rid of me. And why don't you just try to get along with her yourself?"

"I don't mesh well with Sayaka," Homura explained.

"So? Put some effort into it if you like this girl so much."

Homura mentally cringed. "And how do you propose I do that?" she asked, half sarcastic, half curious. Kyoko probably knew Sayaka better than she did at a personal level, she might actually offer up some useful information.

"Hmm," Kyoko closed her eyes and crossed her arms in thought. How could the idiot Sayaka and the idiot Homura get along? A really entertaining thought occurred to her with a smirk. "Let her see you naked."

"… What."

"I'm serious!" Kyoko grinned as she remembered a random detail about Sayaka. "You wanna know how Sayaka claimed she could trust me? She said it was because she saw me naked!"

"… That's the single stupidest thing I've ever heard." Homura shook her head, wondering why she even bothered asking.

"Pretty much," Kyoko agreed, laughing. "She said that she knew I had nothing to hide that way." Her look grew sly. "Want to give it a try?"

"Stop joking, it's not funny." A disgruntled Homura exhibiting the closest thing to a pout Homura would ever do.

"Aren't you serious about Madoka?" Kyoko was having too much fun with this. "The way to Madoka's heart is by showing your goods to Sayaka!"

"I'm serious, not crazy." Homura glanced at a hovering digital clock hanging over the street. She noted she was short on time.

"Well, sometimes you gotta stoop to an idiot's level to get what you want. Better than involving me in your silly theories, I think." She grinned wickedly suddenly, remembering a trick she had used against Sayaka. "If you really want to make Madoka yours, there are better ways to do it. Go to her right now and smash her limbs—"

"If you finish that sentence, Kyoko Sakura," Homura's voice sounded the same as always, except there was now a very distinct power to it that gave Kyoko a cold shiver, "_then it won't be Ryu you'll have to worry about_."

The fanged girl drew a breath in an attempt to disperse the goose bumps that emerged as a result of Homura's chilling words. Just who the hell _was_ this chick anyway? Kyoko looked to see if another bus would stop again anytime soon. If not, she was perfectly capable with walking on her way out. "I would say it was nice knowing you, but you aren't nice and I hardly know you." Kyoko could have a threatening tone too.

The dark haired girl shrugged. "Fine. Good luck out there."

Kyoko blinked at Homura's dismissive tone. "What happened to all that confidence a minute ago?"

"I'm not going to waste my time on you if you're set on leaving," Homura reasoned, turning away from Kyoko and heading back the way she came. "You asked why I cared for Madoka. To explain myself further, I care for her because she acknowledges me." Homura voice grew slightly fonder of the thought, but was dislodged from that fondness by Kyoko's dripping mockery.

"Laaaame," Kyoko drawled behind her back.

Homura smirked at the expected response. "I guess that explains why you won't answer the same question." Her words provoked a scowl to cross Kyoko's face. "You can barely acknowledge yourself." She continued walking on her way, back in the direction of school. She had accomplished what she had come for. She just needed to wait about three more seconds. Two more seconds. One more-

"… Wait." Kyoko's annoyed voice called out to her, prompting her to turn back around. Kyoko was tapping her foot, face all business and slanted eyes daring Homura to comment on her change of heart. "Tell me what you know about Ryu."

.-.-.-.-.

Sayaka was alive.

No, that was a lie. She was a dead woman walking.

"A zombie." Sayaka reaffirmed. Yes. The thought brought her great peace as it summed up her emotional state quite nicely. She was quite surprised to have made it through the school day with only one or two breakdowns! But hey, if she thought of herself as detached from her physical body then she might be able to withstand the soul-crushing emotions of rejection a little longer. Stamina she would need now that the school day was over and she had another hurdle to stumble over: softball practice.

It was a practice that she had been neglecting, specifically skipping the last few days. She had hoped to avoid today's as well, but Madoka had gently reminded her before heading to her own archery club that if she continued skipping, she'd be kicked off the softball team. Her friend also tried to help further by suggesting that playing softball might relieve some of Sayaka's stress. So the blunette sucked it up and dragged her feet to fulfill her sports duties.

Surely no one noticed she had been missing from practice lately—

"MIKI!" A voice caused Sayaka to jump in a very startled, non-zombie like way the moment she tiptoed into the locker room.

"Y-Yes?!" Sayaka stood at attention after failing to be inconspicuous about rejoining the team in the locker room. The voice that called her out belonged to their infamous team captain, who didn't look too happy to see Sayaka. Or rather, Sayaka assumed the captain wasn't too happy to see her, since she couldn't tell at the moment. The captain was too busy trying to remove her school uniform over her head, as if her head was too big for the hole in her shirt. Sayaka goggled the captain in awe, figuring she was either psychic or Kyoko was right about Sayaka's lack of stealth skills. Kyoko couldn't be right, so the captain was obviously psychic.

"You've been scrimping, Miki!" the softball team captain yelled when she finally popped her head from her shirt.

"I-It won't happen again, captain Jun!" Sayaka replied nervously, aware of the attention of other changing girls shifting to her.

"It better not. I don't like excuses, Miki." the older girl chastised. "Ten extra laps around the field for you. One for every day you skipped!"

Sayaka blanched. "I didn't skip that many days!"

"Ah." A pause. "Well, I wasn't keeping track. An extra lap for trying to correct me!" the upperclassman ordained.

Sayaka winced at the punishment and sulked towards her locker. This day was really shaping up to be one of the worst days ever. "I'm a zombie. Zombie~" Sayaka chanted to herself through gritted teeth.

Mami shook her head at the unnecessary commotion as she opened her own locker. "Jun, don't you think that was a bit harsh?" she said in a low voice to the girl who was currently kicking her skirt off. "I heard that Miki-san's had a rough day."

"Hm?" the softball captain hummed absentmindedly. "You worry about your archery girls, I got this." She turned back to Sayaka.

"MIKI!" It seemed she enjoyed how her voice made people jump out of their skins. "I heard you got rejected!"

Sayaka concluded again that this day definitely sucked.

"So let me give you some relationship advice! The only balls you should be playing with are mine!" There was an awkward silence in the locker room after Jun spoke that sentence. Some random teammate muttered, "I knew it!"

"You know what I mean!" Jun turned back to Mami. "See? Handled."

The blond gave the other girl a skeptical look as she retrieved her kyudo gear. "I think you handle balls better than you handle people," Mami commented with her harmless sarcasm.

Jun huffed and ignored the archery captain. "Last one to the field has clean-up duty!"

.-.-.-.

Mami's split-toed socks padded quietly across the wooden floors of the dojo designated specifically for kyudo. It was an unusual structure in the fact that it was built quite differently from the rest of the glass school. The wooden structure was built traditionally, and Mami found it to be rather refreshing. Unfortunately, archery was a small club, with only a few girls in attendance. But thankfully a few passionate participants can make up for the lack of members through sheer enthusiasm for the way of the bow. And Madoka Kaname had enthusiasm in spades.

The dojo had one of those sliding doors that had to be opened manually, a kind of novelty nowadays in Mitakihara. Mami stopped to look through the doorway, smiling when she saw that Madoka was already inside, always the first to arrive.

The pinkette had her bow and an arrow in her gloved hand. Without any wasted movements, she notched the arrow, slowly pulling the string to its limit. Mami was always fascinated with the way Madoka handled the bow. She was such a slight girl, but the bow never wavered when she held it. Her control showed a calm inner strength that most people might be surprised by. She also had an odd habit of closing her eyes right before she was about to release the arrow—almost as if she were offering up a prayer. Mami liked to think she was praying for the safety of her imaginary target, because Kaname-san was cute like that.

Madoka's pink eyes snapped open as she released her notched arrow with her gloved hand, the bow giving nary a quiver as the arrow was sent flying towards its paper target twenty-eight meters away. But the arrow missed the target completely and 'thwumped' into the straw behind it. Mami smiled secretly at Madoka's reaction. The younger girl appeared absolutely flabbergasted at having missed the target. She clearly had untapped potential and a natural talent for this if she got polished up. Mami liked and admired unpolished gems. Rather, she liked being the one to do the polishing.

"Your obi is coming undone, Kaname-san." Mami's voice was soft, but carried presence. Madoka was startled a little at the unexpected audience and smiled sheepishly.

"I haven't figured out how to tie it yet…"

"I'll help you," Mami offered, walking up to her protégé and untying the thick belt around the smaller girl's waist. Madoka blushed demurely, looking away.

"I missed the target," Madoka spoke up apologetically to fill the silence. Mami laughed patiently, retying the obi around the pinkette's waist.

"So?" Mami secured the obi around Madoka's navy blue hakama. "Your poise was rather lovely." Madoka still looked unsatisfied as Mami finished up tying the obi expertly. "You need to remember, Kaname-san, that the way of the bow isn't just about hitting a target. It's more about spirit than it is technique."

Mami retrieved her own bow and stood next to Madoka, gloved hand expertly placing the arrow in its proper place. "In this sport, the only opponent is yourself." Mami explained patiently as she slowly pulled her arrow back and aimed. She took her shot and released the arrow, the projectile sailing gracefully through the air and impaling the papery target right in the center.

"Of course, it never hurts your self-esteem to hit the target." Mami finished, smiling kindly at Madoka. Her kouhai clapped, clearly in awe at Mami's dead-aim shot.

"I wish I could have confidence like that!" Madoka said eagerly, but Mami waved the words away with her hand.

"Nonsense, all that just now was merely technique. You have the upper hand in this sport compared to me." At Madoka's confused expression Mami attempted to elaborate. "Technique improves the shooting, of course. But shooting with the spirit can improve the person." Mami tapped her index finger against Madoka's chest to emphasize her point. "I get the feeling you take away a lot more from this than I do."

Something in Mami's words seemed to have struck a chord with Madoka and she nodded absently, staring at the round targets meters away. "You might think this is a little silly, but," Madoka smiled to herself, "I feel like every time I shoot an arrow, I get closer and closer to finding my true self." Madoka's hand went to her tied-up hair sheepishly. "Does that make any sense?"

"As long as it makes sense to you, Kaname-san." Mami retrieved a second arrow, willing Madoka to do the same. "Shall we get a little practice going before the other girls start trickling in?" she asked with a friendly wink. Madoka smiled excitedly and nodded in affirmation.

.-.-.-.

By the time Sayaka ran her laps around the field, and her eleventh punishment lap, practice was already nearly wrapped up. Sayaka stumbled around until she found a bench to sit on, chugging at a water bottle between breaths. "MIKI!"

Sayaka choked on her water and dropped the bottle at the voice.

"Hit the cages for the rest of the practice!" Jun ordered, pointing at the batting cages the school had set up near the field. "Hit a hundred balls out of the park before you leave!" She threw in as an afterthought. Sayaka groaned after she finished coughing up her water. She picked up an additional water bottle and dumped the contents over her head to cool down before heading over to the batting cages.

"I'm a zombie. A _zombeh zombie_." Sayaka muttered to herself darkly, putting up with the pain. She was trying to go back to the way she used to be, bundling up her feelings and pretending everything was okay. But it was proving to be extremely difficult. After confessing to Kyosuke, it seemed she was unable to keep her emotions under control, but she was still trying to stubbornly close the door to that part of her life as quickly as possible. She wanted the pain to stop, _right now_. She didn't want to feel _anything_.

Sayaka set the ball pitching machine to a hundred balls, stuck on a helmet and picked up a metal bat. She gripped the handle securely and took a deep breath. She felt oddly calmer now, focusing her mind sharply on batting her feelings away. She brought her elbows up and set her feet firmly in the batter's box, awaiting the first incoming ball. The motion sensors in the pitching machine sensed that she was ready and spit a ball in her direction, which Sayaka smashed away with a sharp metal 'ping' of her bat.

Sayaka was actually a very talented batter for a freshman. She would always put everything she had into a hit. She doubted she would be able to hit every single ball out of the park, but she sure as hell was going to try. Her grunts punctuated every swing and metallic ping. Ball after ball came at her and whether it only glanced against her bat or sailed right past her, she just waited for the next volley.

"URRRYAAA!"

_PING_

"HA!"

_PING_

"TAKE THIS!"

_PING_

"AND THAT!"

_PING_

The rest of the softball team was turning in, jogging back to locker rooms past Sayaka's little ball cage of misery. Jun stopped to watch the freshman.

"MIKI!"

"What?!" Sayaka all but snarled in answer, tired of hearing her own name.

"You're not being very gentle with my balls there!" Jun threaded her fingers through the chain-link fence, leaning forward. "You're allowed to turn in too, when you're ready." Her voice had softened only a little, but it felt a million times calmer than usual.

Sayaka glanced at her captain, face indifferent and voice somewhat detached. "But I haven't hit all one hundred balls out of the park yet."

The softball captain shrugged after a moment, releasing the fence. "Can't say I don't like your attitude, rookie." The ball pitching machine resumed when it sense Sayaka was facing it, and the rest of the team disappeared from sight when they entered the locker room doors.

Finally alone, Sayaka gritted her teeth and continued her streak of busting balls. Well, at least she thought she was alone. From the corner of her vision she saw another spectator by the fence, watching her. Sayaka's heart nearly stopped when she realized it was Kyosuke. The young man's face was solemn as he regarded the girl he was separated from by a chain-linked fence.

"Can we talk?"

.-.-.-.

"…So why are we here?" Homura wondered aloud when she found herself crouching behind a large water fountain with Kyoko in front of one of the more prominent skyscrapers in the city.

"Simple. I find Ryu, give him hell, wrap up this stupid little problem permanently so that I can leave without any loose ends." The redhead growled, eager to wash her hands of the mess she had created in this city. She wanted to conclude her business here so that she didn't have to worry about Sayaka getting caught up in it, and Kyoko could leave without having regrets. It sounded good in her head.

Homura nodded politely to the people giving them odd looks for crouching suspiciously around the entrance of an important business building. "I'm still trying to figure out how you came to this conclusion with the information I supplied you with."

"You told me Ryu's interning here!" Kyoko explained angrily, eyeing the building.

"Well how do you plan on bursting in without a security clearance?" Homura asked, removing her glasses to wipe them clean with a handkerchief.

As if on cue, a crowd rolled past the duo heading for the building entrance led by a very colorful and loud lady. "Step right up, the Rebirth Pharmaceutical tour is about to begin!"

"Oh, convenient!" Kyoko ran after the group. Homura considered just going back to school, but she had to know the outcome of these events.

"Rebirth Pharmaceuticals is leading the world today with the most advanced pharmaceutical products ever created." The tour guide recited happily as they made their way through the lobby of the very high-tech building. People in suits and lab coats wandered the area, not taking any heed of the passing tourists. "The Research and Development department has opened the doors to many possibilities, including nano-technology. Many of the things that make Mitakihara such a unique and advanced city in this day and age is due to the continued advancement of this company!"

"What's your plan now?" Homura whispered, raising a brow at Kyoko, who was trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible. Kyoko looked out of place in this environment, whereas Homura fit right in.

"We'll split from this group and we'll look for Ryu," Kyoko laid it out as simply as possible.

"Why do you assume I'm here to help?" Homura asked, genuinely curious. Kyoko looked even more annoyed.

"Then why _are_ you here?" she asked the glasses-wearing girl. Homura was about to answer when an unexpected voice called for her attention.

"Homura, is that you?" Junko Kaname beamed when Homura stopped and turned around, confirming that it was indeed her. Kyoko lowered her head, attempting to walk ahead with the tour group. However, the group halted when the tour guide recognized Junko.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Junko Kaname, a growing star in the business management of Rebirth Pharmaceuticals."

Junko waved and smiled at the group, a natural charmer.

"I thought I saw my daughter's special friend here." Junko said to Homura after the attention was diverted away from her. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

Homura was thinking quickly, knowing she had to get out of this situation or risk leaving a bad impression on Madoka's mother. "I've… been thinking about your offer, Kaname-san," Homura said respectfully.

"Oh, about being my intern?" Junko placed a hand on her hip. "Changed your mind?"

"Well, no," Homura grabbed Kyoko by the collar and pushed her forward, much to the redhead's surprise, "but my friend here would be very interested."

"Hah?" Kyoko squeaked, feeling like she had just been thrown under a bus.

"Her name is Kyoko Sakura. I was hoping you could talk to her about the program." Homura held Kyoko in place while she talked to Junko in a pleasant voice.

"I'll be happy to," Junko said with a broad smile, appraising Kyoko. "Since you suggested her, Homura, I'm sure she's a _very interesting_ girl."

"H-Hey, just wait a sec," Kyoko managed to spit out, the situation changing quicker than she could keep up with.

"She is," Homura nodded, feeling a bit tongue-in-cheek as she thrust Kyoko into the spotlight. This might actually help her plan. "Well, I'll leave Kyoko in your care while I head back to school." Homura gave Kyoko a 'go get 'em' pat on the back while she turned and headed back to the entrance.

Kyoko stared at Homura's back in disbelief before slowly turning her head to look up at this random business woman who had just ruined her plan.

"Kyoko Sakura, right? Junko Kaname." Junko greeted her professionally while maintaining a hint of mischief in her gaze. "So you're interested in this hell hole?"

Kyoko was really gonna _kill_ Homura one of these days.

.-.-.-.

"It's been a while since we've played like this," Kyosuke commented while he tossed a ball up into the air and caught it with a gloved hand. They had moved to the field and he stood on the pitcher's mound.

"Well, you started playing the violin more and more as we grew up." Sayaka swung her bat around in the air, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. "Speaking of, aren't you skipping your violin practice right now?"

Kyosuke tossed the ball into the air once more to cover up his embarrassment. "This is more important."

Sayaka blushed, but felt inexplicably angry by the comment. He rejected her this morning, so why was he treating her all nice now, making her feel like she was actually important to him, making her like him even a smidgen more? She felt like he was being cruel, even if her mind reasoned that that didn't make any sense. She took a deep breath, imagining the words sliding off of her like water.

"L-Let's just hope you still don't throw like a girl," Sayaka muttered half-heartedly.

Kyosuke huffed playfully. "I prefer to think that my hands are too important to put my full strength into throwing."

"Stop trying to save face and give me your best shot!" Kyosuke threw the ball to her and Sayaka swung carefully, making the ball skip across the dirt. Kyosuke stooped to grab another ball from the makeshift pile by his feet.

"So…" Kyosuke started off awkwardly, fiddling with the ball in his hand. He was the one that wanted to talk, but now he didn't really know what to say. "How are you?"

"Okay, I guess." Sayaka hit the next ball Kyosuke threw. She chose not to comment on his rather girl-like throwing arm. "Can we just not talk about this? I'm trying to forget it ever happened."

The musician's face showed instant disapproval. "But it did happen, Sayaka. I can't just stand by ignorant of your feelings like a fool any longer." He gave the ball a stronger toss this time.

Sayaka grit her teeth and she hit the ball with her bat harder. "Well, you don't have to worry about me. I'm fine!" she insisted.

"No, you're not!" He tossed, she swung.

"Yes, I am!" Her voice was getting progressively louder and angrier. "I'm trying to be a zombie here! I'll be okay as long as I try not to care about you as much as I do! Why are you making it so hard for me?" Sayaka lashed, feeling her face and eyes betraying her hurt, her zombieness not helping her in the slightest.

Kyosuke clutched the ball so hard in his hand that his knuckles were turning white. "You suck at being a zombie! It's obvious that you're hurt and I'm trying to make it right!"

"Oh, now you know how I feel? _Really?_" Sayaka said sourly. "A little late to start minding my feelings now, wouldn't you say?"

"You should've just been honest with me from the start." Kyosuke sounded particularly frustrated.

"Honesty? You want honesty?" Irked, Kyosuke threw the ball as hard as he could at the blunette. The batter rotated her body, snapping her elbows and wrists to hit the ball with a loud crack. "ITHONESTLYHUUUUURTSSOOOOOFRE AKINGMUUUUUCH!"As Sayaka yelled, she let out every ounce of hurt and frustration into that one swing.

Kyosuke felt her feelings hit him in the gut painfully.

Or was that the ball?

Ah, it _was_ the ball. Kyosuke kneeled to the ground, clutching his abdomen. Sayaka's eyes widened when she saw the ball hit him and she tossed her bat to the side in an instant.

"Kyosuke!" She was at his side in a moment, her legs taking her there without her having to think. "I'm sorry, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah," Kyosuke lied through his teeth. It was so obvious he was lying that Sayaka panicked, scooping him up in her arms and carrying him like a newly-wed would his wife. There was a brief thrashing period as Kyosuke kicked in protest and Sayaka struggled with his weight. In the end she dropped him on his back by accident, resulting in more pain.

"I'm sorry!" Sayaka apologized again, horrified by her own actions. Kyosuke groaned on the ground.

"It's okay," Kyosuke flexed his fingers. He smiled, reassuring her. "I'll live."

A weird sensation of sudden exhaustion came over the girl and she sat down heavily next to Kyosuke. That had certainly escalated quickly. Now she knew a little bit about what Kyosuke was feeling, trying to help her since he was the one who had inadvertently hurt her.

"When I first heard you play the violin."

"Hm?" Kyosuke tilted his head in befuddlement, pushing himself up to a sitting position.

"I've loved you more than a friend when I first heard you play the violin," Sayaka said quietly, hugging her legs and setting her chin atop her knees. Kyosuke's eyes widened.

"That long?"

"Yeah," Sayaka smiled shyly, face flushed. "I'm sorry I never told you."

The grey haired boy sat back, leaning on his hands and looking skyward. "That's a lot to take in." He whistled, shaking his head. "You'd think I would notice my best friend having feelings for me this whole time."

"Your best friend has feelings for you too?" Sayaka deadpanned quite seriously. What, does everyone in the whole world like Kyosuke?

"I'm referring to you, you know." Kyosuke lowered his gaze from the sky back to his friend. "You're my best friend, Sayaka. And I should've known better."

"Oh." The blunette's face clearly only registered surprise at the revelation that she was his best friend. _"Oh."_ She hid her face in her legs. "Oh..."

Kyosuke tilted his head, trying to get a look at her face. "You didn't know?" Sayaka's hand reached out blindly to smack at his shoulder.

"It wouldn't have hurt to let me know!" Sayaka grumbled into her knees. Kyosuke laughed.

"You're right. I've just been so busy lately. People expect a lot from me, and I expect a lot from myself as well. I have a big dream, you know."

Sayaka nodded even as her face was still pressed against her knees. Kyosuke rubbed his jaw in search for more words.

"I'm sorry for my obliviousness."

"Cut it out, Kyosuke." Sayaka raised her face, a soft smile on her lips. "You don't have to apologize so much. We're friends. I accept that." Her accepting smile grew to outright grinning. "I give up!"

Kyosuke blinked, confused. "You give up?"

"Yeah." Sayaka took a very deep breath, mentally finalizing her decision. "On you. On being a zombie. On having regrets," she explained, pulling herself up to a standing position. She offered her hand to Kyosuke. The violinist grasped her hand and let himself be pulled up.

"Everyone's right! I suck at pretending that I'm okay all the time." Sayaka held onto Kyosuke's hand, looking sheepish. "You, Madoka, and Hitomi have all told me that. Heck, even Kyoko knew!" Sayaka let go of Kyosuke's hand and sniffed. "I was the last one to realize it. I don't want to have any more regrets. I've sure wasted lots of years on you!" Sayaka laughed, teasingly swatting Kyosuke's shoulder with the back of her hand.

He looked at his own hand that she had let go of. "Are you okay with this?" Kyosuke asked hesitantly.

"I will be." Sayaka dusted herself off. "You should focus on your dream, and Hitomi." Sayaka smiled warmheartedly when she thought of her friend. She valued her friendships with these two people too much to risk destroying these connections. Kyoko had told her to fight or move on. Sayaka was choosing to move on. She closed her eyes and swallowed thickly. Letting someone go like this was weird. She felt at peace, yet it hurt. But she embraced that hurt, finally ready to move on. But more importantly, she thought, she was finally _willing_ to move on.

"She's too good for you, that girlfriend of yours."

"She is, isn't she?" He tentatively let a smile grow on his face. He felt relieved. He hadn't known what to expect when he came to confront his childhood friend. But she seemed to exude resolve— a resolve that she had found herself without his help at all. In that regard he felt a little useless that he hadn't been able to really help her, but grateful at the same time that he hadn't emotionally crippled her. Not that he knew of anyway.

"So we're okay?" Kyosuke asked hopefully. Sayaka smiled at him in a reassuring manner.

"Are you kidding, I'm scarred for life! Feels great!" She said it so casually Kyosuke considered hitting himself in the gut again. The blunette chuckled to herself. It was true, she felt pretty darn okay despite _not_ being okay. In a way, she was closing a chapter of her life and starting a new one.

"Now do me a favor and help me pick up all these balls." She pointed out that they were surrounded by dozens of balls scattered around the field.

"Ah." Kyosuke made a face. "You sure busted a lot of balls today, Sayaka."

.-.-.

Homura Akemi tried not to make a habit of cutting class. The reason for this was Mami Tomoe, who definitely had been making a habit of gleaning time with Madoka while Homura was away. Also, Mami made Homura retrieve everyone's arrows for being late to archery.

"Just because you're very talented doesn't mean you're allowed to arrive five minutes late," is what Mami had said in front of the rest of the class the moment Homura had arrived.

Homura was currently putting a plethora of long arrows away in the sports equipment shed. Actually, "shed" was putting it mildly. It was more like a two-story storage facility for all things sports ever. Calling it the shed was mostly for the sake of tradition.

'Just because you have drills for hair doesn't mean you can…make me do stuff.' Homura was thinking sullenly to herself as she put away the arrows she had spent the last half hour painstakingly yanking out of papery targets or bales of straw. It had seemed Mami had gone out of her way to deliver even more arrows for Homura to clean up afterward.

First she had to deal with Kyoko, now Mami. Today was starting to fray on Homura's nerves.

The dark haired girl felt annoyed at herself. When had she started forming these half-baked rivalries with most of the girls she met? Before, she had only been extremely socially awkward. Now, she was… Well, still extremely socially awkward except now she was better at covering it up with coldness. It was difficult to explain. She didn't quite understand her own feelings.

She was finishing up putting away the last of the arrows when she heard someone else enter the sports equipment shed. Looking over she could see Sayaka Miki walking in holding a crate full of softballs. Sayaka spotted her too, but had no reaction to her presence whatsoever.

"Hey transfer student," Sayaka nodded to her, sounding tired. Homura nodded back, curious about Sayaka's current state of mind. She had witnessed Sayaka confess to Kyosuke Kamijou like so many others in the class and felt compelled to know the outcome. Homura had yet to confess her own feelings to her own crush and had considered the possibility of getting rejected. Just the thought sent a spear of fear through her, and she wondered how Sayaka was handling all this.

Homura shifted, pausing in putting away the very last of the arrows. "How are you?" she decided to ask awkwardly, trying to pry without making it seem like she was trying to pry.

Sayaka sighed. "I'm tired of people asking me that." She walked past Homura to get to the wall marked Women's Softball, where there were many lined shelves. "It's not like you care anyway, right?"

"I wouldn't say that." Homura responded. "You could say I'm… interested. In unrequited love." The dark haired girl said this rather haltingly.

"Is that so?" Sayaka looked over at Homura with a perceptive blue gaze that the other girl held. Shrugging, Sayaka put up her crate of balls on one of the shelves. "Well, I'm tired and done with unrequited love. That's all I'll say about that."

Homura found herself at a loss as she was barricaded from speaking further. She briefly panicked, wondering what she should do next and Kyoko's earlier suggestion sprung unbidden within her mind. 'Should I let Sayaka see me naked?!_' _

_"_I'm out of here," Sayaka said, stretching her arms over her head as she walked past Homura. "I'm going to eat all of Kyoko's ice cream when I get home!" She declared with a small smile on her face. Homura let her go, relieved. She had been starting to have crazy thoughts.

Sayaka tried the door's keypad, but was surprised to find the buttons on the keypad not responding. "… It's not opening."

Homura's anxiety crept up again at those words.

"That's weird. This is the twenty-first century, this doesn't happen anymore!" Sayaka forcefully laughed, opening a panel next to the door that was labeled 'You are not locked in.' Inside the panel was a small paper tag that read 'OUT OF ORDER.'

"The heck is this? Even in a modern society nothing works!" Sayaka exclaimed.

Behind her, Homura was unbuttoning her skirt in a panic.

* * *

><p>AN- Wow, fifty million internet years have gone by.

Anyway, I've been getting lots of anonymous reviews, so thanks for those. I usually like to thank people in a more private way, wink nudge.

MAJOR CREDS to RPPuzzle, the beta's beta. And to Ryhno Holter, who motivated me with his boobs.


	12. How exactly did you think this would go?

Homura sometimes experienced these weird moments. Moments where things seemed to slow down, and she was able to properly think things through in what would otherwise be a single second. She was having one of these moments now as she watched Sayaka's fist hone-in on her face.

'I can see it,' Homura observed to herself. She could see through Sayaka's movements easily, examining the punch in fascination. 'I probably shouldn't have taken my clothes off without warning.' Homura concluded to herself glumly. 'Yes, that was definitely the wrong move on my part. Perhaps I should apologize after I dodge this fist-'

An odd thought, considering Homura knew full well she couldn't stop time and move out of the way. Before she could react, Sayaka's fist rammed into the middle of her face, right in the nose. 'Ah… Perhaps I won't apologize.'

.~.~.

"So you're interested in this hell hole?" Junko asked with a teasing smile, clearly recognizing her victim's desire to be anywhere but here.

Kyoko quickly reviewed her options.

A) Run away

B) Kick this lady in the vag, then run

C) Simply say "no"

D) Play along

All of the options sounded tempting, but she decided to go with the option that would let her roam the building freely and complete her objective. She wasn't interested in whateverinternship this lady had in mind, but it wasn't like Kyoko had much of a choice. Besides, she was capable of playing nice…right?

Kyoko removed her hands from her pockets and straightened out her posture. "If you think it's a hell hole now, wait 'til I get involved"

Junko's smile broadened, impressed that the redhead was quick to choose fight over flight. "Walk with me, Kyoko." The older woman turned on her heels and walked further into the building. The tour guide moved on, but with Kyoko now following the business woman she had been stuck with.

"Pay attention, Kyoko, because I don't enjoy repeating myself." Junko walked up to a lift and pressed the button to go up. The doors slid open immediately and the pair stepped in. "This 'internship program' is really just an opportunity for students to get bossed around by company big-wigs. You're expected to complete the same menial tasks as any employee, such as sharpening pencils, fetching coffee, filing, and organizing. The only difference is you don't get paid for it! Not to say that it isn't an excellent opportunity."

"So why do people volunteer for this again?" Kyoko asked wryly.

"Well…you get high school credit and business experience."

The lift doors opened and the sight of a much higher floor greeted them. Kyoko was slightly taken aback; she hadn't even felt the elevator move. Realizing Junko was walking off without her, she hurried out of her momentary stupor. While following Junko she turned her head to and fro, trying to spot Ryu while keeping an ear to the business lady. The older woman didn't even lose pace as she turned a corner and entered a crowded hallway. It was as if she knew everyone would drop what they were doing to get out of her way, and surprisingly they did. As she passed through, they greeted her cheerfully and she in turn smiled effortlessly and greeted most of them by name.

Despite nothing but suits and pencil skirts dominating Kyoko's searching gaze, she strolled along confidently next to Junko, not feeling the least bit self-conscious about her boots and jacket attire. Just because she didn't look the part didn't mean she couldn't act the part. The redhead smirked in response to any curious looks she got, people clearly wondering who the raggedy teen following Kaname was.

"You'll get as much from this job as you put into it. It_ is_ how I started out, after all." Junko talked as if she had said these words over and over again, but still held some pride in them. "Usually to get an internship here you need college-level education, but since you come personally recommended by Homura, I'll make an exception. A basic understanding of computer databases and secretary work is generally required as well, but that stuff's easy to pick up on if you're smart. So what it really boils down to is if _I_ like you." Junko finally spared Kyoko a sideways glance, an exquisite eyebrow arched in expectation. Kyoko raised her own eyebrow in response, not really sure what to say and not really caring.

"So tell me about yourself, Kyoko." Junko prompted lightly, gaze shifting forward again as she headed to wherever the heck she was going.

Kyoko hummed quietly, interest breaking off in favor of looking around for Ryu once more. She gave a mental shrug, deciding that sticking close to the truth was easier to do than coming up with a lie on the spot. Might even unhook her from this lady altogether; the sooner the better.

"Kyoko Sakura, 17 years old. I'm a street rat who hasn't been to school in two years, and I'm not very interested in tying your shoe laces," Kyoko said in her direct manner.

"Oh?" Junko didn't sound particularly interested in or even surprised by her words. "Are those your official excuses to continue living in your current circumstances?"

_That_ certainly quirked Kyoko the wrong way. "What the hell do you know about me, lady?"

"Madoka's my daughter, in case you didn't pick up on that? She tells me about her friends. She said you had a lot of heart, but it seems all you care about is doing what's necessary just to get by. Somebody who has no desire to shoot for something greater is nobody special. Maybe she was wrong about you." Kyoko immediately felt an annoyed vein throb in her temple at the words, the woman successfully getting her full attention.

"I don't need to be special, and I don't want any favors."

"The whole 'I don't need you' shtick, right?" Junko laughed as she rummaged through her briefcase while walking.

Kyoko's scowl deepened. "That's right, I _don't_ need you or any of this—!"

"Reality check, Kyoko – I'm the one who doesn't need _you_."

Fuming, Kyoko stopped walking in the middle of the hallway, crimson eyes livid with annoyance. Junko noticed Kyoko had stopped and turned back to the smaller redhead, standing directly in front of her and pinning her with a look. "I'm afraid you're out of your league here, Kyoko. This world you just walked into is very different from the one you're used to. You're going to have to do better than mere threats to get anywhere here."

Kyoko grit her teeth and her nostrils flared as she prepared to yell or do _something _besides just stand there like an idiot. There was something about this lady that Kyoko couldn't quite put her finger on… She triggered some base instinct in Kyoko that made her want to either growl in response or drop her gaze in capitulation. She settled for staring up at Junko daringly, thinking a good kick to the taco would be as an effective threat as any to her bureaucratic nonsense. "If you don't think I can get anywhere with my attitude, then why even bother with me?"

"Because you interest me." As far as Junko was concerned, Kyoko's stubborn retaliations were a point in her favor, she simply didn't know how to utilize that trait correctly.

"Let me guess…" Junko's serious gaze turned inquiring. "Orphan?"

Kyoko flinched the tiniest bit at that word, biting the inside of her cheek. She had done the whole orphanage thing for a few months. Needless to say, she didn't agree with the whole experience.

Junko nodded at Kyoko's silence. "I thought so. Orphan-types are easy to spot."

"And you think I'm one those types?" Kyoko couldn't help feeling defensive.

"It's in your eyes, and the way you speak. The way you walk, too." A smile tugged at the edge of her lips. "The type of person who spends their life kicking and screaming against the hand she's been dealt in life before realizing that it's useless. Now that you've given up fighting that fact, you decided to stick it out on your own and live only for your own sake, correct?" Her eyes twinkled humorlessly. "It's like looking into a damn mirror when I was your age."

Kyoko raised an irritated brow at the older woman. "I doubt nearly as good-looking."

Junko threw her head back as a full, rich laugh spilled from her lips. She pushed some lavender hair behind and ear and grinned at Kyoko. "I don't know about that, Kyoko."

"Kaname-san." A third voice drew Junko's attention to another girl approaching them, not much older than Kyoko herself.

"You're going to be late for the board of directors meeting." The girl informed Junko and handed her a see-through tablet with a list of bullet points. "You didn't even bother downloading your presentation. Luckily I had the foresight to do it for you."

"I've always thought improvising presentations kept the mind fresh," Junko replied lightly, using her finger to navigate the tablet. With a quick motion, as if she forgot the formality, Junko pointed between the two young women. "Oh, Kyoko, this is Oriko. One of my current interns."

The white haired girl gave Kyoko a once-over before effectively dismissing her with a short nod of her head and a quick, "pleasure." Kyoko was starting to wonder if there existed a human being that didn't piss her off.

"Oriko, this is Kyoko Sakura. I'm interviewing her."

"So this is what kept you." If Oriko was surprised, she didn't show it.

"This is supposed to be an interview?" Kyoko grumbled from the side of her mouth, looking off to the side.

"Kaname-san always works at her own pace," Oriko said wryly.

"What do you mean by that?" Junko quirked a smile at her before heading off. "Don't go anywhere, Kyoko, I'll be right back after I show these old guys that mine is bigger than theirs." With that, the lavender-haired woman disappeared behind a grand pair of doors nearby. Kyoko and Oriko regarded the door for a moment before looking at each other.

"Well… bye," Kyoko nodded at the girl across from her, turning on her heel and striding away. Then she paused as a thought occurred to her, making her turn back and look at the white haired girl who was silently watching her go. "You wouldn't happen to know where a guy named Ryu is at the moment would you?"

"Down the hall, take a left at the big red doors, down two floors, second hallway to the right, and six doors down on the left," Oriko answered, voice pleasant.

"Got it." Kyoko mentally jotted down the instructions and quickly went on her way.

Oriko turned her attention to her handheld device, smirking as she noticed a new message scrolling across the screen from Kaname-san. _Keep an eye on her, will you? _The message read.

_Already ahead of you, _Oriko typed back, her screen currently filled with security-camera footage of Kyoko trudging through the halls.

.~.~.

Time seemed to speed up for Sayaka when she turned around and spotted Homura in the midst of getting undressed. Suddenly everything seemed to happen all at once. Sayaka's eyes bugged out, her mouth agape in bewilderment and about to ask Homura what the heck she was doing. Before she could though, Sayaka yelped in a panic as she watched Homura trip on her skirt and stumble ungracefully toward the blunette. While Homura was reeling, Sayaka blindly swung her fist out in Homura's direction, smacking her right in the face. The assailant watched in distress as Homura's glasses fell to the ground, Sayaka realizing in horror that she had overreacted. All Homura did was take off her skirt…did that really warrant a punch to the face? Wait, that _was_ a valid reason to punch someone, wasn't it? Sayaka wasn't sure; hell, she didn't know what the _hell_ was going on anymore!

She didn't have time to be mortified further when Homura's hand suddenly snapped out and grabbed Sayaka by the front of her gym shirt. Thinking that Homura was trying to steady herself after Sayaka punched her, Sayaka's arms instinctively went around Homura's waist to help her. She realized her mistake when she saw a look on Homura's face that fully suggested that she was about to throttle her. And Homura did just that, using her momentum to swing Sayaka around and push her to the ground, but they both ended up taking the tumble since Sayaka had grabbed onto Homura. "Ack!"

Sayaka took the brunt of the fall with Homura landing heavily on top of her. "Owww," Sayaka groaned, eyes closed. Homura sat up, knees on either side of Sayaka's waist, hands still gripping Sayaka's shirt. Sayaka's eyes snapped open and she blushed wildly at seeing Homura on top of her, the girl's skirt dangling from the ankle it got caught on. Homura blushed as well, wondering if she could play off this whole thing as some kind of freak accident, which wouldn't actually be a lie. She hurriedly climbed off of Sayaka and stood up, frowning.

"My apologies," she murmured, grabbing her skirt and pulling it back on, eyes refusing to look back at Sayaka. The blunette just stared at her from her place on the ground, her brain trying to comprehend what the hell just happened. Was today _Rapidly Escalating Situations Day?_ Why didn't anyone _tell her about it?!_

Sayaka sat up, having a million things to say, and after stammering stupidly for a few moments, she went with her first question. "W-wh-why did you take your skirt off?!" Her voice came out less accusatory than she had intended and was a single octave away from coming out as a panicked squeal.

Homura winced slightly. No answer or any amount of explaining would make her actions make sense. "… Because now you can trust me?" She hedged after a moment, searching for any confirmation to Kyoko's "advice." Or had she really just embarrassed herself in front of Madoka's best friend for nothing?

Sayaka's look clearly said '_As if I could trust you now!_' and Homura's stomach sank even lower. "Put your skirt back on!" Sayaka exclaimed, blushing a bright red.

"Already done," Homura replied tersely, fastening the last button.

"And that doesn't even make any sense! Why would you…?! Where would you…?! Oh God." Horrid realization dawned in Sayaka's eyes. "Kyoko told you to, didn't she?"

Homura used this loophole to direct Sayaka's anger away from her. "Possibly." As predicted, Sayaka groaned angrily.

"That little creep!" Sayaka growled to herself. "What did she say?"

Homura shrugged. "All she told me was a way to possibly gain your trust."

"My trust?" Sayaka picked herself up from the ground, patting her clothes off. The process of dusting herself off slowed to a stop as Homura's strange reason sunk in. "Why should I trust you?" She said, narrowing her eyes.

Homura just leaned against a wall and remained silent, pinching the bridge of her nose lightly as if expressing frustration, when in reality she was checking how injured her nose was from that hit.

Sayaka's patience had already been burned out today, so all that was left was irritation. "Ever since you transferred in a few months ago, you've been hanging around Madoka. It's weird, and I don't like it." Sayaka stated her problem with the other girl. "You've been blind to anyone else around her. What made you feel like you want to gain my trust now after all this time? That's suspicious! _Really _suspicious!"

Homura's expression didn't change through Sayaka's mini-rant, but she felt more and more flustered. "There are things about this you don't understand, Sayaka Miki."

"Like what? Obviously I don't understand you. I don't know anything _about _you!" Sayaka snapped in exasperation. She turned to give the door a glare, willing lasers to burst from her eyes and melt the door down. She wanted to get out of here. She wanted to jump into bed, wrap herself up in sheets and go into hibernation.

Homura, on the other hand, was thinking about Madoka at the moment. How the adorable pinkette would always encourage Homura to reach out and make friends, to loosen up and be herself. If she wanted Madoka, she was going to have to go about it in an honest, open way. Homura wouldn't feel right if she went about it in any other manner, but she was so unaccustomed to this sort of thing that she felt she was making her chances with Madoka worse than better. She had to be frank and firm with Sayaka. Nothing else would get through to this girl; it just wasn't in her nature.

"My purpose for all this, Sayaka Miki," Homura spoke up, the shaky tremor in her voice nicely covered up, "is to receive your blessing to date your… _our_ best friend. I want you to be okay with me dating Madoka." A loaded pause followed her statement.

"… What?!" Sayaka sounded impressively astounded and her face memorably stunned as she rounded on Homura.

The dark haired girl appeared skeptical of the reaction. "You didn't know I was interested in her that way?" The way Sayaka had been treating her had made her think otherwise. Homura made a mental note to assume Sayaka was just stupid in the future.

"I _did_ know!" Sayaka corrected her, blushing at her own reaction. "You just surprised me with… with asking for my blessing." Sayaka trailed off, her blush brightening.

As a romantic herself, as well as a self-proclaimed knight, Sayaka could greatly appreciate the idea of others seeking her blessing when it came to her best friend. Even if she didn't approve of Homura, Sayaka could respect that sentiment from her, and it was at least a point in the other girl's favor. Just a single point, though!

"Why didn't you just say so instead of taking off your skirt?"

It was Homura's turn to go red in the face. "I was trying to go about it in a more natural manner."

"_By taking off your skirt?_"

"… Shut up." Homura muttered, a self-deprecating smile appearing on her face. She removed the smile quickly and tried to assume a more somber persona. "Then allow me ask you directly," Homura uncrossed her arms and pushed herself off the wall to stand in front of the blunette. "I would appreciate it if…" Homura's fists unconsciously clenched themselves, "if…. i-i-if you would a-a-approve of me courting Madoka."

Those words were a lot harder to say than Homura had anticipated. As a general rule, she didn't like relying on others. But she knew Madoka would be happier if Sayaka didn't have a problem with her, and if it was for Madoka, Homura would do anything. It also comforted her to know that even if she didn't get this brash girl's blessing, it wouldn't deter Homura from pursuing her love interest that much.

Sayaka just stared at her, once again marveling at these odd turn of events. "Can I take a rain check on this?" She blurted out. Homura raised a confused brow at her. "Look, I just… I can't deal with this right now. Okay?" Sayaka admitted quietly. She was too emotionally thrown to even think about all the people and feelings at play here. She had to recover and lick her wounds before she made any rash judgment calls on something as important as Madoka's happiness.

Homura looked unhappy but she nodded silently. Sayaka clapped her hands in front of her, nodding awkwardly as well. "This conversation isn't over, of course." Sayaka said quickly, waving her hands back and forth. "I'm not going to give you my blessing just like that simply because you asked for it, after all."

Annoyed, Homura waved her hand to silence her. "Let's just focus on getting out of here."

"Right." Sayaka muttered, having forgotten about that particular problem after Homura body slammed her. As the other girl walked past her, Sayaka noticed Homura's red rimmed glasses on the ground and stooped to pick them up. She held them out to Homura with embarrassment.

"Here." Homura squinted slightly to see what it was Sayaka was holding out to her before taking the item. "Sorry about punching you in the face and all…"

Homura slid the glasses on her face, breathing a sigh of relief that they weren't broken. "Not a problem. You don't hit very hard." Sayaka narrowed her eyes at her. Homura turned her attention back to the door that wouldn't open. "What was the problem with the door?"

"The keypad wasn't working." A disgruntled Sayaka replied, gesturing grandly to display her frustration with technology. Homura tried the keypad as well and found that it was indeed out of order. She tried the doorknob next and paused. "Did you try the doorknob?"

Sayaka blinked, trying to remember if she had indeed tried the doorknob, and wasn't sure if she did. "Of course I did, I'm not stupi—" The door swung open easily at Homura's push. Smug violet eyes twinkled at her.

"…Shut up."

.~.~.

People gave Kyoko even more strange looks since she no longer had a notable escort with her, but she paid them no mind. She focused on solely picking out the one guy she was looking for among the sea of fancy neckties. There was no reason for Ryu to be at the indicated location, but she didn't have anything else to go on, so might as well go with her first lead.

Down the hall, left, right, left, door.

"Ryu!" Kyoko snarled the name as she busted down the door the directions led her to with a boot. The room was empty, filled with nothing more than tables, chairs and a coffee machine in the corner. The redhead huffed, annoyed that her one lead was useless. It was going to be a pain knocking every door down before security reached her.

"Looking for me?" A cruel voice whispered in her ear before it felt like a linebacker shoved her into the room she just opened up. She tried to shout in surprise, but a hand that took up most her face clamped over her mouth painfully. She heard the door shut behind them right before her face was thrown against the nearest table.

"I didn't think you were this stupid, Kyoko," Ryu said with a laugh as he held Kyoko down on the table with his weight, his other arm wrapped across her stomach. The redhead bit into his hand hard and the young man cursed, pulling his hand away from her face but managing to keep his hold on her body. He adjusted his grip and pinned both her forearms to her side, making sure she couldn't move them.

"Just making sure you keep your end of the deal." Kyoko growled, trembling with rage. "'If you beat me in a fight, I'll leave you the hell alone,' ring any _fucking bells_?"

"And I've kept up that deal, I believe," Ryu crowed into her ear, sickening triumph saturating his tone. "Don't you think it should go both ways? Trying to jump me while I'm at work—you've got some nerve."

"Like hell you have! You've been following me, asshole!" Kyoko struggled against his hold, wanting nothing more than her fist in his face.

There was a pause, as if Ryu was surprised she knew. "You got me there," he admitted, a smile coming back to his voice. "Followed you enough to know who you've been hanging out with." Kyoko's top lip curled in a snarl as his words confirmed her fear. "The one chick with the bat from the other day? She has a decent rack." His tone seemed complimentary, if not creepy. "I don't remember making any promises about leaving _her _alone."

Kyoko scoffed loudly. "That bitch is nothing," she deadpanned. "She's just a bed to sleep in. She pays well for me to sleep in it too!" Kyoko said through her teeth. The bastard pressing her face down onto the immaculately clean table barked a laugh, sounding like an actual dog.

"Is that so? Sounds like something you would do," he said sleazily, pressing up against Kyoko roughly, much to her disgust. At least he seemed to buy her motive for staying with Sayaka and seemed to forget all about her.

"Just curious, how exactly did you think this would go?"

"My foot in your ass, for starters." Kyoko answered, making unwilling acquaintance with the table.

"That's a lot of _bravado_ from a goddamn _nobody_." His hands were cutting off circulation in her arms from how tight he was holding them. "Listen up, you fucking _toy_," his breath was on her cheek and she strained her head to the side away from him. "You can never really touch me. You can never really hurt me. You're just an insect with no power, and nobody will miss you when you end up belly-up in a gutter."

Her hate for him flared up, those words making her impossibly angrier than before. With renewed strength, she kicked up both her legs behind her as hard as she could right between his legs. Probably still reeling from the last time she crushed his nut sack, Ryu squeaked and practically released her.

"Funny, feels like I can _touch_ you and _hurt _you just fucking fine!" Kyoko roared, kicking him again in the shin, and started wailing on his midsection with numbed fists the second he released her. She didn't get much damage in before he clenched his massive fingers around her neck and picked her up. Then in one swift motion, he slammed her back down into the table she had just been acquainted with. The breath was knocked out of her, but she rolled over quickly before his giant fist almost smashed her face in. Landing heavily on her feet, she made a dash for the coffee machine in the corner, grabbing the coffee pot and hurling it at him as hard as she could. He managed to duck in time and the glass pot smashed against the opposite wall. Before he could lift his head back up, she pounced at him, face filled with rage and bloodlust.

The doors busted open at that moment and three security guards swarmed in, assessing the situation in a second. They grabbed Kyoko and held her struggling arms behind her back, shoving her down on the same stupid table. Kyoko growled like an animal feeling beyond pissed off. Another security guard grabbed Ryu, but the young man shouted at him and yanked his arms free.

"Stand down, Koyomi-san, or we'll take you in too!" Another security guard said, shoving Ryu away when he tried to approach Kyoko again.

"Just try it!" Ryu snarled. "See how fast my father fires your ass!" The threat seemed to cow the security guard and he moved away from Ryu to assist in apprehending Kyoko. The redhead felt mortified when she felt the sting of unshed tears gather in her eyes at the unfairness of the situation.

"Get her out of here. This _toy_ has overstayed its welcome," Ryu ordered as if he was in total control of the situation. Kyoko was heaved up on either side by the guards and dragged past the scumbag. Ryu mouthed the word "untouchable" at her as she went past, his hands briefly hitting his chest in a bring-it-on gesture. Furious, she lunged at him uselessly, causing her to be dragged even more quickly out the door until the bastard's smile was out of sight.

His words affected her more than she wanted to admit. That bastard was nothing— but she was even less, wasn't she? No power or stupid influence; she couldn't protect anything. That was why she lost her family, and it's why she was being dragged away now, to be thrown back into the gutter like a rat. It's the same reason why she had told herself not to bother protecting anything other than herself—because she couldn't.

Kyoko gave herself a mental punch to the face. 'Shut up,' she growled, repeating the phrase to herself. Now wasn't the time to lament like an emo! Even if she was a nobody, she wasn't nearly as much of a scumbag as that guy! She had to figure out how to get out of this new predicament. These guys would either kick her out, which would make getting back in to kick Ryu's ass impossible, or even worse, call the police and get her thrown in jail for assault. If that was the case, she had to escape before they could take away what little power she had access to: freedom.

She started looking around, determining when was the best time to try and break free from their grip and make a run for it. She could use that exit, maybe block the door if she grabbed that chair over there while she ran past it. The busier the hallway, the better. Or maybe-

"Hey!" An angry voice shouted in their direction, making the small group of security guards pause. Kyoko looked away from the exit she had been eyeing, her eyes widening slightly as Junko strode towards them, clearly angry.

"Unhand that girl, she's with me." Junko said, wielding authority in her voice like a club. The lead security guard cringed, having no desire to deal with Junko as well.. When he spoke, his eyes were on the floor.

"It's not that simple, Kaname-san. This girl was attacking Koyomi-san and—"

"Forgive me if I find it laughable," Junko cut in, voice low with not a trace of laughter, "that you would detain a girl for defending herself from repeated-offender Ryu Koyomi, a man twice this girl's size. The evidence practically speaks for itself, even without me showing you a recording of what actually happened."

The security guard blanched further, glancing at Kyoko. "But…"

"I understand you're under a lot of pressure," Junko stepped closer to the man, just barely invading his personal space, "so I'm not going to stand here and further question your poor judgment. I just ask you use some of it to answer a question you should be asking yourself: do you want to get on Koyomi's bad side… or _mine_?" She stared at him expectantly, the answer embarrassingly clear.

"Let her go," the man said, waving at the other two to release Kyoko. The teen forcefully shrugged off the people holding her, resisting the urge to rub feeling back into her arms. She eyed Junko carefully, wondering why this woman would defend her after the way she acted. Even so, she went to stand next to Junko, glaring at the guards.

"Wise choice." Junko gave them all one more stern look before turning to Kyoko and inclining her head to follow her. Kyoko eyed Junko while walking behind her, wondering what her deal was. She was now indebted to her for helping her out of that situation, but Kyoko was too shaken up to actually be annoyed by this fact. Her predisposition to refuse help she never asked for was being trumped by the need for revenge. And maybe she knew just how to get it.

This time around Kyoko was led to a proper office, one she assumed to be this lady's personal office. Her suspicion was somewhat confirmed when she spotted that Oriko chick at a secretary desk outside the door to Junko's office. The white haired girl gave Kyoko a nod as they walked by.

When they entered the room, Kyoko saw an immaculate, open-spaced office, complete with a sleek glass desk, which Junko sat behind after the doors closed on their own behind them. The entire wall behind her was floor-to-ceiling tinted windows, which let light filter through in comfortable levels of brightness. As a backdrop, it seemed to emphasize Junko's presence.

The lavender haired woman passed her hand over the surface of her desktop and it lit up. She started navigating her way through menus, typing passwords in, and doing god knows what else while Kyoko stood by, watching and waiting. She eyed the name template placed on the edge of the desk with the woman's name on it: Junko Kaname. She was now thinking about this woman's supposed relation to the Madoka she had gotten to know so far… And she had to say, she wouldn't have pegged them as related if Junko hadn't told her. They had completely different vibes.

"Why are you helping me?" She finally asked when it seemed Junko was ignoring her presence, curiosity getting the better of her. The woman was silent for an extra moment before she seemed to find the file she'd been looking for, and a recorded conversation of Kyoko's encounter with Ryu started playing. If Kyoko leaned further, she would be able to see the video file playing as well in a window on Junko's desk.

Where did she even get that video file, and how did she know that Kyoko had been apprehended? Kyoko shifted her weight, scowling and uncomfortable with the idea that she was being watched constantly in this place. She was unable to stop the slight reddening of her cheeks when she heard herself imply that she was sleeping with Sayaka. However, Junko's face remained impassive and nonjudgmental as it played out until the fighting broke out, at which point she dismissed the file. She reclined back in her chair and regarded Kyoko with her eyes.

Bristling under observation, Kyoko forced herself to speak. "I owe you one for helping me," she spoke slowly and heavily, as if the words coming out of her mouth were being grinded into dust. "That internship you were talking about earlier… I'll do it." Her crimson eyes were grim as she looked right into the woman's eyes.

Lavender eyes assessed Kyoko just as seriously, clearly weighing her options. Finally, the older woman sighed quietly. "I like you, Kyoko, I really do." She spoke just as solemnly as Kyoko did. "But I'm going to have to reject you at this time."

Anger flashed across Kyoko's face like it had barely been restrained at all. "Then why bother bringing me here?" She spat, her emotions spinning beyond her control. _Of course_ she wouldn't get it; _of course_ a nobody like her wouldn't have the _luck_ –

"Madoka mentioned Sayaka took you in." Junko's strong voice cut through Kyoko's storm of emotions. "If I'm reading that video correctly, you were protecting her, were you not? Interesting. Unless she really is paying you to sleep with her, but I highly doubt that's the case!" Kyoko grimaced, Junko's words reminding her that she had failed once again to protect anyone. She felt like she was going to snap at the woman, but couldn't find the strength to verbally acknowledge her regrets.

"But I'm not here to baby my interns, Kyoko," Junko said in a no-nonsense way, staring down the redhead. "You think I don't know what's going on? I'm not going to let revenge be your motivation to work here." Kyoko's fists clenched tighter and tighter until they shook. "Not that revenge isn't a good incentive, but in this case it is not enough. If I'm going to be taking responsibility for you, you have to take responsibility for yourself first."

Kyoko only stared at the ground in front of her, face darkened. Junko's voice softened a little when she spoke again. "I don't know about you, but I'm willing to give you the opportunity to change your circumstances; you just have to be willing to change your life to make yourself a better person, not just so you can get back at some prick." The woman stood up, walking around her desk. Kyoko was standing as unresponsive as a statue, still glaring at the ground as the muscles in her jaw threatened to snap with how hard she was clenching it.

"Let your head cool off, and then _really_ consider my offer," Junko said, holding out a card to Kyoko with her name and number printed on it. "I hope you find your answer quickly— I'm not going to keep this window open for you for very long."

After a moment of silence, Kyoko slowly reached out and took the offered card from the woman's hand. The card felt weighted in her fingers, heavy with a new chance at life. A chance that threatened to slip away at a moment's notice if she didn't seize it with fervent hands. She pocketed the card quickly and gave Junko a swift nod before turning to leave the office.

Before she reached the door, she felt the need to say something. "You're not right about everything, you know," Kyoko couldn't be pinned so easily by everybody. "I'm not technically an orphan."

Junko blinked, surprised. After a moment, she smiled slightly. "My mistake. I hope you'll prove me wrong some more soon."

Kyoko left, feeling like she wanted to prove everyone in the whole goddamned world wrong.

.~.~.

"How was I supposed to know it was just the doorknob? You jumped me before I got a chance to check!" Sayaka continued to grumble even as she and Homura emerged from the locker room in their school uniforms.

"If you had checked it first, then I wouldn't have taken my clothes off," Homura said with a tone that suggested she was right, even if it made no sense.

"You shouldn't have been taking off your clothes in the first place!" Sayaka exclaimed, tempted to kick the other girl. But her anger seemed to dissolve when she spotted Madoka sitting on a bench outside the locker rooms. When the pinkette noticed them, she smiled and stood up, indicating that she had been waiting for them. Sayaka gave Homura a side-long glance, noticing how she seemed to brighten the moment she saw Madoka, making Sayaka inwardly groan. Homura's feelings were super clear now that she had admitted them to Sayaka, and the blunette wondered if Madoka knew they existed too.

"Hey," Madoka greeted them with a small, cheery wave. "You guys sure took a while; I was just about to text you."

"We-" Sayaka was about to speak up but Homura cut in smoothly.

"We were detained." Sayaka gave Homura an annoyed look, wondering if Homura thought she had been about to tell Madoka the specifics of their 'detainment.' She hadn't been planning to, but she was a bit tempted to do so now.

"Hmm…" Madoka mused, gaze flickering between Sayaka and Homura curiously. Come to think of it, the two of them speaking to each other was kind of rare. Rare enough for Madoka to be extremely curious as to what this detainment was, but figured she wouldn't ask. Sometimes the easiest way to find things out was to let people tell you in their own time. "Shall we go?"

"No Hitomi today?" Sayaka asked after they exited the school grounds. "What is it this time? Piano, tea ceremony, or tightrope lessons?"

"I believe its alligator-wrangling today," Madoka played along effortlessly. Sayaka shook her head slowly, as if she would never understand the pastimes of rich young women.

"She's a versatile one, that Hitomi."

After that, the conversation seemed to go stale quick. Both Homura and Sayaka were wondering when the other person was going to leave already, and soon they stopped talking all together.

Madoka seemed very content just to skip in between Sayaka and Homura, the two other girls just plain uncomfortable with the other's presence. Sayaka looked just about done with everything ever, while Homura just wanted this opportunity to get some Madoka alone time. Madoka was wondering what papa was cooking for dinner.

Homura finally mustered the nerve to ask something of Madoka, even with Sayaka there. "Would you mind if I walked you home, Madoka?"

Sayaka raised both brows at her over Madoka's head. Homura sure was being aggressive right in front of her!

"Sayaka usually walks me home," Madoka informed Homura, making the blunette puff up a bit. "But a change of pace would certainly be nice!" Sayaka stumbled a bit in her walk. Madoka turned to her, missing the stumble. "Would you mind Homura-chan came with us, Sayaka-chan?"

The shorthaired girl communicated a look to Madoka that yes, she actually did mind. She wanted this chance to talk to Madoka about what happened at length, about her talk with Kyosuke and her subsequent decision to give up on him. She didn't usually have these kinds of talks about her feelings with Madoka, but she wanted to now as a part of her whole 'stop pretending everything is sunshine and rainbows' resolution.

Madoka's eyes softened as she read Sayaka's look, inclining her head towards Homura, wondering what she should say to refuse Homura's request. Sayaka paused at the question and inwardly sighed, shaking her head with no amount of subtly. Faced with Madoka's worried gaze, Sayaka smiled weakly and decided to let it go for the moment. After all, Sayaka felt mentally exhausted, and she wanted nothing more than to lie down on the spot. She could always talk with Madoka later.

"Go ahead and take her home, transfer student," Sayaka offered with a shrug."I think I'm just going to head home and make sure Kyoko hasn't done anything crazy while I've been gone." As she said it, she did become curious as to the state of her apartment with Kyoko in it.

Homura wondered if Kyoko would be there at all.

"Are you sure?" Madoka asked, concern clearly present in her voice.

"Yeah," Sayaka drew Madoka in for a one-armed hug, kissing the top of her head gratefully. "I'll call you soon." Madoka squeezed Sayaka's middle in response to her words. Homura watched the brief intimate hug, silently admitting to herself that attempting to get on Sayaka's good side was the right choice. She wanted to try being optimistic about having the opportunity to walk Madoka home.

"She'll be in good hands," Homura assured her, watching Sayaka's reaction carefully for signs of acceptance.

"I'm still wondering about that!" Sayaka said back, tone lighter than her words implied, joining her hands behind her head while casually sauntering toward a more direct route to her apartment. She'll deal with the weird transfer student after fifteen cartons of chunky monkey ice cream, if Kyoko hadn't eaten them all already. Madoka and Homura continued walking in the direction of Madoka's home.

"How's your treatment going, Homura?" Madoka asked curiously after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"Excellent, actually," Homura responded, offering Madoka a small reassuring smile. "The doctors are surprised by my progress. They say I'm already recovered, but my body seems to be steadily improving with the new medication. I'm stronger than ever."

Madoka grinned widely, relieved. "That's great, Homura-chan!" Homura grew warmer at the smile and looked away shyly. "How much stronger are you?" Homura's heartbeat quickened at the question, and she realized this was an opening to one of her small fantasies.

"Would you like me to show you?"

Madoka clapped her hands together in front of her excitedly. "I would!"

Homura promptly stopped walking and bent her knees so that she squatted close to the ground, leaning forward with her arms positioned in a way that suggested Madoka should ride her back. The pinkette stared in confusion for a moment before she realized Homura was offering her a piggyback ride.

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Not a problem," Homura wiggled her fingers expectantly. Madoka blushed before giving in, bending to wrap her arms around Homura's neck and stepping through Homura's arms. The dark haired girl hoisted Madoka up by the backs of her knees and stood up quickly, making Madoka squeak. Without warning Homura took off running, making Madoka squeal loudly in her ear and tighten her hold on Homura's neck.

Homura made sure to weave through other people on the street as much as possible while maintaining her speed and grip on Madoka's legs, and soon Madoka's yelps dissolved into delighted laughter. Her choke hold on Homura lessened and she encouraged her. Homura's heartbeat soared the more she made Madoka laugh, and her euphoria kept her running all the way back to Madoka's house.

.~.~.

When Kyoko stormed out of the building, she didn't stop there. She stormed down the street, down the next street, then the next and the next until she found that she could not. Calm. DOWN. She was so livid that she didn't know where the hell she was even going, nor was she thinking about the fact that she had nowhere to go in the first place. She just knew she was going, and had to be gone.

It didn't take long before she found herself in front of Sayaka's apartment complex, much to her livid irritation. Why was she here? Why wasn't she leaving? The redhead stormed around in circles outside of the building, her fuming and muttering drawing stares. She realized with horror that when one is that angry, their first instinct would be to go home, and she had gravitated to Sayaka's place like a moth that just couldn't stay away from the flame.

'Am I stupid? I'm leaving! I'm going! Now! Nothing can keep me here!' Kyoko inwardly raged while she stopped pacing and stood uselessly in front of the ornamental glass doors. After a few heartbeats, Kyoko grabbed at her hair and tugged. 'Why is this so fucking hard to do!?'

"What are you doing?" Sayaka's suspicious voice asked from behind her. Kyoko jumped, somehow not expecting to encounter that voice, even if she was raging in front of the building they lived in. "Someone's going to call security on you if you keep acting like a weirdo." Sayaka continued walking up to Kyoko, who was staring at her strangely.

Seeing Sayaka was strangely sobering, and she felt her anger snuffing out somewhat. She hadn't been expecting to ever see Sayaka again, after all.

"Are you alright?" Sayaka asked after silence from Kyoko's end, and she was secretly happy that she finally had the chance to ask someone that question instead having that question asked of her today.

"Not really. I'm super fucking pissed right now," Kyoko admitted, glowering at Sayaka warily. Sayaka blinked, taking the other girl in.

"You know what?" The blunette said slowly, her eyes widening slightly as she had a thought. "So am I!" She exclaimed, as if realizing that fact for the first time today. Now that she realized she was still pissed , she smiled happily to herself. Being honest with your feelings sure felt odd. Kyoko just gave her a skeptical look, thinking her weird for smiling along with those words, before a small amused smirk appeared on her face as well.

"You know what I could really use right now?" Sayaka said in an almost wistful tone as she headed towards the apartment's doors. "A good soak in that tub."

Kyoko stared after the girl for a few moments before begrudgingly thinking that a bath sounded absolutely lovely at the moment, and followed her just like that.

.~.~.

Collective sighs of content rang out as they both sank into the steaming hot water of their too-small tub after racing each other to get naked.

"So what did you do today?" Sayaka asked, breaking out the soap and shampoo.

Kyoko shrugged. "Oh, I was just going to leave the city, but then decided to beat the shit out of someone I hate instead, and got offered an internship at one of the most prominent businesses in the city while I was at it."

After a pause, Sayaka snickered. "As if." Kyoko rolled her eyes.

"So what did _you_ do today?" Kyoko asked, claiming the shampoo.

"Oh just," Sayaka waved her hand around for no reason, "confessed to the boy I loved, got rejected, and was immediately jumped and mounted by a half-naked Homura afterwards."

"Yeah right," Kyoko shook her head. "Homura would never have the guts to do that!" Sayaka just shrugged cheerily in a 'what's a girl to do' kind of way. Two rubber duckies floated in the water between them, and Sayaka squeezed one and let it fill up with water as they both fell quiet. They joked around, sure, but they were both simmering in their respective troubles.

"Feel free to share what's bothering you, if you feel like it," Sayaka said, squeezing the rubber ducky and squirting water in Kyoko's direction.

The spray of water hit Kyoko directly in the face and the redhead glowered at her. "I'm not really the sharing type."

Sayaka shrugged. "I just thought since it helps me out to talk to Madoka about things, it might help you too. Figured I could try being a better friend to you is all, but if you're insisting on the whole 'mysterious' angle…" Sayaka made quotation marks with her fingers on the word mysterious. Kyoko just gawked at her suddenly.

"Hold up a sec— 'friends'?" She asked genuinely curious. "Is that what this is?"

"Well, I guess…" Sayaka wasn't sure if that was a serious question, but Kyoko didn't seem to be using a sarcastic or mocking tone. "What else would we be at this point?"

"Huh…" Well, Kyoko could think of a couple of other things they could be as she subtly checked Sayaka out under her eyelashes. Some weird detached part of her brain wonder if she had always been gay, or if it was just Sayaka she was attracted to. She propped her arm on the edge of the tub and leaned her head against her fist. "Do you really consider me your friend?" She asked with more of that oddly genuine curiosity.

Sayaka blinked at the other girl, before a small smile touched upon her lips. "Yeah, I do."

Kyoko blushed and looked away from that smile that sent her heart pounding. 'Yeah, I'm super gay,' she grumbled to herself in her own head. Her blush dampened when Sayaka used the rubber ducky to spray water at her face a second time.

"Two girls naked in a tub playing with rubber toys, yep we're real great _friends _all right," Kyoko's light voice hardly gave away the suggestiveness of her statement. A full ten seconds ticked by until Sayaka got the joke.

"Oh, that's just wrong," Sayaka said as she chucked the rubber ducky at Kyoko's head. The redhead forced a chuckle before going strangely quiet.

She hadn't meant to form this connection, friendship, attraction, whatever the hell this was. A small part of her deep in her chest was stricken with terror. What will happen when she eventually loses this bond? The part of her consciousness that had been mentally protecting her all this time threatened to give her a headache as it rebelled against this idea, and urged her to leave before she grew roots to this girl. 'Isn't it a little late now?' The other part of her mind said as she peeked back at Sayaka. She had come back, after all. She was, for all intents and purposes, attached to Sayaka already.

Damn. Since when was the power of friendship so spell-binding or whatever? There had to be more to it. There had to be. Kyoko just didn't know what it was yet.

Kyoko's sudden loud groan made Sayaka jump a little. "You're such a pain in my ass, Sayaka."

Sayaka decided to turn Kyoko's teasing back around on her. "You're into it." Kyoko's eyes almost widened for a moment, nervous that Sayaka had found out so quickly, before she grinned instead. Had Sayaka always been that quick to tease her?

"You wish."

Sayaka suddenly remembered something important. "By the way, Kyoko…" Sayaka said slowly, watching Kyoko lather up her hair into a giant bubble afro. "Did you tell Homura that the way to gain my trust was to get naked?" Kyoko froze her motions, the afro of bubbles covering up the fact that she was breaking out in sweat.

"…What?"

"Did you. Tell her. To get naked."

"Uh…"

"Well?"

"Hmm…"

"Did you?"

"Ah…"

"Admit it."

"… You mean Homura actually did it?" Kyoko inquired, a slow smile breaking out across her face as she tried to picture it.

"So you _did_ tell her!" Sayaka accused, looking ready to shove a bar of soap down Kyoko's throat.

"Yeah, yeah," Kyoko emptied a bucket of water over her head, instantly vaporizing her afro look. "But Homura actually got naked for you? Tell me more!"

"She didn't get a chance to!" Sayaka said, blushing at Kyoko's tone. "I only got to see her p-panties before I stopped her!" She admitted, trying to dispel whatever it was Kyoko was thinking about.

"HA! Oh my god, that's hilarious!" Kyoko laughed heartily, picturing various scenarios in her head of Homura flashing Sayaka her panties randomly. She never thought Homura would have the guts to actually do something like that!

"You suck," Sayaka growled as her face flushed in embarrassment.

"And?" Kyoko leaned back in her position, flicking her hand at Sayaka and splashing her with water droplets. "What happened after that?"

"After?" Sayaka asked dubiously. "Well, we talked for a bit, then we got out of school and Homura walked Madoka home."

"Oh?" Kyoko smirked. "So it worked."

"What worked?"

"My naked advice worked."

"What are you talking about?" Sayaka was getting more annoyed by her roommate's tone.

"You just said that you let Homura walk your best friend home." Kyoko pointed out. "This means you must trust her even just a _little_ bit more after seeing her panties."

Sayaka's jaw opened and her eyes widened as Kyoko's words sank in. "Wha-what are you implying?"

Kyoko shook her head as if Sayaka was just the slowest person in the world. "Sayaka, it sounds like you're super gay."

Sayaka shook her head quickly, blushing like a maniac. "What, no, shut up! You're crazy!"

"Do you always warm up to girls when they flash you? Seriously, just throw on a cape and have rainbow vapors swirl all around you in the gayest way possible." Kyoko mock-shuddered. "I knew I had to watch out for you," Kyoko covered herself up. "_Pervert_."

"What. No!" Sayaka kicked her in the ribs, making Kyoko cough. "Idiot!"

"Search your feelings… you know it to be true!"

"Noooo!"

.~.~.

Meanwhile, Homura finally keeled over four meters away from reaching Madoka's front door after pushing the limits of piggy-back style.

"Ah! I broke her after riding her too hard!" Madoka squeaked in alarm.

It was worth it.

* * *

><p>AN- *insert creds/props/flowers/glory/sexual favors/divine worship/puppies to RPPuzzle for betaing here*


	13. I need you Rather, I love you

One last mighty splash of water joined the already quite flooded bathroom floor. The two occupants, realizing that there was hardly any water left in the bathtub to use as ammunition against each other, took a moment to catch their breaths from that overly-zealous water-splashing fight.

"We've really got to stop having these naked fights," Sayaka panted, shaking out her sopping wet hair and sending water droplets flying every which way.

"Not my fault you always get all hot and riled up with me in the room." Kyoko retorted, dropping the bar of soap which she had been unsuccessfully trying to cram into Sayaka's mouth during the fight. "Why did we start fighting again?"

Sayaka blinked at the question, tilting her head as she thought about it before she snapped her fingers and pointed at Kyoko. "In conclusion," she announced smugly. "I'm not gay!"

Kyoko snorted as she recalled their argument as well. "And you came up with this conclusion _after_ engaging in a 20-minute naked water fight against a pure-hearted innocent girl such as myself?" She grinned. "I'm skeptical of your findings, Sayaka!" Her grin turned into a leer and her hands made a groping motion for Sayaka's chest. "I think your theory requires more experimentation!" A rubber ducky bounced off her forehead for her trouble.

Sayaka stepped out of the tub, careful not to slip on the extremely wet floor. Thankfully all the water on the floor was draining quickly. "God, I'm tired," Sayaka said as she stretched her arms over her head before gathering a towel. "Exhausted, really." She said quietly to herself as she dried her hair.

Mental and emotional fatigue quickly caught up to her as her mind dwelled on what she had gone through that day. How she had blurted out a confession to Kyosuke and his subsequent rejection. Of the stupid rumors spreading through school and her talk with Kyosuke that led to her decision to give up on him and move on. Then there was the new problem of Homura confronting her about gaining her blessing to date Madoka. The ache in her chest that became numb in Kyoko's presence quickly returned, giving her heart a few insistent tugs. Her movement slowed as her limbs felt heavier and heavier with every deep breath she took.

There was a sudden squeak and splashing sound as she heard rather than saw Kyoko slip and fall onto the tiled floor. The blunette turned around and spotted Kyoko scrambling to get back up and letting out curses under her breath. It was impossible not to crack a smile at the sight of her rattled roommate, and Sayaka couldn't help but laugh at her expense.

"If you didn't see it, it didn't happen." Kyoko grumbled half-heartedly as she yanked a towel down from the wall and went about drying her backside with it.

"Sure, sure," Sayaka drawled, rolling her eyes. Kyoko muttered some idle threats under her breath towards her, and Sayaka bit back another smile. The time she spent with Kyoko really does noticeably lighten her mood. And to think that Kyoko hadn't really thought of them as 'friends' until Sayaka brought it up earlier. Her companion was rather socially dense despite having so-called street smarts, wasn't she?

Sayaka had decided a while ago to nap the day away, but her chest hollowed at the thought of being alone with her feelings for even a minute. When left to her own devices, Sayaka knew for a fact that the fresh wound of rejection would threaten to open up again, even though she had done her best to apply first aid to it already. But she just didn't have the energy left to keep her cool together if her feelings managed to overwhelm her.

"What's that look for?" Kyoko grouched, leveling a deadpan glare in Sayaka's direction. The blunette blushed a little as she realized she hadn't torn her eyes away from Kyoko during her entire thought process.

"Nothing," Sayaka took a moment to recover from her blush before returning her eyes back to Kyoko. "Just looking at the big bruise on your butt from the fall that 'didn't happen.'" She said just loud enough for the other girl to hear. Kyoko reflexively checked her backside for signs of a bruise before glaring at Sayaka.

"Jeez woman, can't you control your lesbian tendencies long enough to _not_ check out my ass?"

Sayaka smiled, figuring Kyoko would say something like that. She felt kind of happy that she knew Kyoko well enough to predict her responses every now and then. She walked over to Kyoko as casually as she could. Kyoko narrowed her eyes at her, also knowing Sayaka well enough to know that she was up to something. The thought made Sayaka's smile widen as she approached Kyoko.

Sayaka sighed in resignation. "You're right Kyoko, I _am_ gay after all. That's why I can't control my feelings for you any longer." Sayaka said as she slowly inched closer to Kyoko with a soft look on her face. Kyoko took a small step back in alarm, unsure where Sayaka was going with this. Sayaka didn't notice and lifted her hand to Kyoko's face until it cupped her chin. Before Kyoko could respond, Sayaka's hair brushed past the side of her other cheek, her mouth now close to her ear. Kyoko was so shocked by her friend's sensual touch that she was paralyzed with confusion and awe.

"Because you…" Sayaka breathed into her ear, making Kyoko bite her lip to stifle an involuntary gasp. Sayaka's hand glided down the red head's body until it rested on the side of Kyoko's waist, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake. "…have one, fine ass."

Now that Sayaka was close enough to Kyoko to do something stupid, Sayaka swung her hand back and slapped Kyoko's bare ass really hard. The other girl's eyes widened as she squealed in pain and surprise.

"You… _bonkler_!"

Sayaka immediately regretted her impulsive decision now that she stood before a seething and red-faced Kyoko, who was now glaring at her as if she were about three seconds away from killing her. It probably didn't help that Sayaka still had her hand on Kyoko's ass.

Since she only had seconds left to live, Sayaka used the opportunity to give the redhead's tush a good squeeze. Even though Sayaka knew it wouldn't end well, she felt mischievous enough to think it was worth it, and that now she could die an honorable death.

Kyoko did not disappoint and grabbed Sayaka's shoulder. Sayaka closed her eyes, fearing the worst, but opened them in surprise as she felt her feet leave the ground. Apparently Kyoko was determined to make Sayaka take responsibility for violating her because she was now carrying the blunette like a newly-wed.

"Whoa hey Kyoko, I wasn't being ser—" Before she could finish her sentence, Kyoko abruptly dropped her back in the semi-filled tub. Sayaka yelped and sputtered while Kyoko laughed in satisfaction.

"Your ass just got dumped!" Sayaka rolled her eyes at the stupid pun. "But that's what you get for messing with me, and if you don't like it, you can kiss my glorious, bruised ass. Actually don't—you might like it." Kyoko finished with a flash of her impish grin.

"…Are you done?" Sayaka asked looking quite fed up.

"For now. Here let me help you up," Kyoko said with an outstretched hand.

Sayaka promptly smacked it to the side. "No thanks."

Kyoko rolled her eyes in aggravation. "Come on don't be like that. You started this, I'm just trying to end it and make peace. Now quit being difficult and take my hand already." Sayaka looked up at Kyoko, still skeptical of her intentions. When the apologetic smile on her face sufficiently disarmed her suspicions, she reluctantly took the offered hand, only to have Kyoko's hand betray her and let her fall right back on her butt. Sayaka should've seen that coming.

"All right, we're even now," Kyoko declared resolutely. "Hey look we match." Kyoko turned her backside toward Sayaka and pointed at the nonexistent bruise on her butt. She then walked over to the towel rack and chucked a dry towel at Sayaka's face, still chortling at her companion for falling for the oldest trick in the book. The towel quickly settled over Sayaka's head and she yanked it off in a huff. She helped herself out of the tub this time, annoyed that she would have to dry herself off a second time.

"I honestly don't know why you bothered with that guy when you're clearly out to get _me_." Kyoko said cockily.

Sayaka narrowed her eyes at her. Even though the technically blunette deserved it for groping her, she couldn't just let Kyoko get away with insulting her. She looked at the towel in her hand and got an idea. When she saw her chance, she whipped the corner of her towel at Kyoko's tail. But this time the redhead was ready and stepped aside before snapping her own towel right back at her.

Sayaka yelped when it made contact with her belly. Kyoko barked a laugh at Sayaka's discouraged expression. "Here, let me kiss it better," she offered with a wicked glint in her eyes.

"Knowing you, you'll just bite me instead!" Sayaka warned Kyoko away with a distrustful look and a brandished towel. Kyoko grinned in a way that pretty much confirmed Sayaka's suspicions.

Sayaka huffed and turned away in annoyance. Her cheeks were starting to ache from fighting back the smile that was trying to make its way back onto her face. Besides, Kyoko really knew how to wear a girl out, and Sayaka _really_ wanted that nap now.

Her mind wandered curiously back to the time she and Kyoko had fallen asleep together. Rude awakening aside, it had been rather pleasant, Sayaka admitted to herself, and for a moment she briefly considered asking Kyoko to sleep with her again. Sayaka quickly shook her head to expel such a perturbing thought. All this heartache was making her consider crazy and stupid things, not to mention the suggestion would encourage yet another onslaught of teasing about whether or not she was gay.

"I'm going to go hibernate for a bit." The blunette said simply as she slid her arms into the sleeves of a bathrobe.

"Hm?" Kyoko glanced at her while wringing out her damp locks. "You're not going to invite me to join you? Bet you considered it, you _raging lesbian_ you!"

Sayaka's eye twitched, the comment making her promptly take back all of her fond thoughts about Kyoko. "No… just, no." She tied the bathrobe around her waist with an exasperated sigh. "Don't do anything crazy while I'm sleeping."

Kyoko grunted noncommittally as she thoroughly wrapped up her long hair in a towel. Sayaka gave her one last look before she nodded to herself in satisfaction that Kyoko might not set anything on fire while she was asleep, and left the room.

.=.=.

Sayaka entered her room and closed the door quietly behind her. Finally alone and surrounded by a quiet that Sayaka wasn't sure was good for her, the plush bed beckoned her. She made a dash and jump for the bed, flopping into it face first in a way that really displayed her young age.

"A nap sounds absolutely wonderful right now." She pressed her face into her pillow, her damp hair fanning out around her head. She was hoping to be knocked out in a glorious wave of slumber, and it almost worked too. But unfortunately, the only wave that hit her was another wave of heartache over the thought of never being able to be with the one she loved.

She groaned and buried her face into the pillow until she could barely breathe. She didn't want to cry anymore! She just wanted to sleep! But it looked like that wasn't going to happen because trying to control her feelings was like keeping her hand clamped over a can of worms, all of them threatened to wiggle out and consume her in the worst of ways.

The need to breath made her turn her head to the side and she took a deep, slow breath. She had to forget about it. She had to move on, she accepted that. Heartbreak gets easier to deal with, right?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden vibration of her phone. Taking a peek at the screen of her device, she noted Madoka's name and blushing picture. Sayaka briefly recalled that she took that picture after Madoka had accidentally picked up and flipped through a porn magazine one time at the bookstore. If only for that reason alone, no call from Madoka ever failed to put a smile on her face, and this time was no different.

Sayaka answered, putting the phone to her ear. "'ello?" Her traditional greeting sounded hoarse and extremely tired, and Sayaka quickly cleared her throat before Madoka could think she had been crying or something.

_"Hey,"_ Madoka sounded apologetic. _"I know you said you'd call me, but I couldn't help but want to check up on you…"_

A smile quirked on Sayaka's lips a bit. Madoka was such a good friend that it surprised her sometimes. "It's fine, I was just…" A monstrous yawn suddenly broke out, and Sayaka rubbed her aching eyes while she was at it. "…about to take a nap."

_"Oh, should I just call back later?"_ Madoka inquired in concern.

"No it's fine. Besides, I want to talk…" Sayaka tucked her knees up, hugging them to her chest.

_"Okay,"_ Madoka prompted.

Sayaka bit her lip, not sure where to start. Should she just talk about her feelings, or about what happened, or how she was now, or what? She wasn't used to this.

"Stuff happened…" Sayaka trailed off, sounding vaguely amused by her predicament. Madoka's quiet giggle on the other end loosened her up a bit, so Sayaka closed her eyes and took the plunge.

She told Madoka about how she tried to block out her emotions after she had confessed to Kyosuke. She told her about how her softball practice went, and how Kyosuke surprised her with a visit. She recounted in detail the conversation they had, and her roller coaster of emotions, and how she had finally decided to simply give up on her feelings for Kyosuke.

Madoka was a fantastic listener, staying thoughtfully quiet and only chimed in to ask questions or gently prompt her when Sayaka paused to struggle with her words. It was a difficult moment to relive, and the blunette had to break off speaking several times to swallow thickly. She was quite glad to get it all off her chest though. It was definitely something she needed, and something she should have done a long time ago. Entrusting Madoka with her personal feelings came naturally, and she wondered why she had put off a talk like this with her for so long.

_"Wow…"_ Madoka finally commented when Sayaka seemed to have finished speaking. _"Are you sure giving up on Kyosuke is what you want?"_

Sayaka snorted, a smile on her face. "Nope."

_"Ehhh,"_ Madoka sounded confused.

"You can't always get what you want." Sayaka polished off the well-worn phrase and regarded it with a new appreciation. "It still sucks, but I think giving up on Kyousuke is for the best. When one door closes, another opens, right?" Dwelling on her sadness wasn't going to change anything, so she might as well make the best of the situation.

_"That's the spirit Sayaka-chan!"_ Madoka made a noise as if she wanted to jump out of the phone and give Sayaka a big hug. _"I'm so proud of you!"_

"Hehe," Sayaka giggled and buried her face in her pillow as, "I'm proud of me too." She mumbled back in embarrassment, hoping that Kyoko wasn't listening in on this conversation. Ever since Sayaka could remember, Madoka's encouragement always made her feel like everything would work out for her in the end.

"I swear Madoka, you have this uncanny ability to help people believe in themselves. In fact, you could probably make the whole universe a better place with it."

Madoka giggled. _"That's silly Sayaka. It's not like I'm a god or something. I just really love my friends and want them to be happy!"_

Sayaka couldn't help but grin at her friend's humble response, feeling a lot happier in spite of herself. Now that she was relaxed, it was time to change the subject.

"Speaking of friends and love," Sayaka tried her best to sound natural. "You and Homura make it to your house okay?"

_"Hm? Oh yes,"_ Madoka sounded surprised by the question. _"But what does Homura-chan have to do with love?"_

Sayaka scrunched her brows at the question, deciding to just ask about what was on her mind. "Madoka, do you like Homura?"

_"That's a silly question Sayaka-chan, of course I do!"_

"You do?" Was Sayaka's baffled response.

_"Yes,"_ Madoka confirmed firmly. _"Homura-chan is a very good friend!"_

"Wait a second," Sayaka felt like Madoka was purposefully messing with her now. "Are you serious?"

_"…Huh?"_ Madoka said in confusion.

"It's… well, never mind," Sayaka sighed, rethinking her idea to discuss the matter further. If Madoka didn't know about Homura's feelings, then maybe there was nothing to worry about. But then again, what if there was something to worry about? If Madoka became aware of Homura's feelings, how would she respond? Would she reciprocate? Would Homura get rejected? And why did she care so much?

Suddenly she realized the position she was in with this situation. Homura asked for her blessing to date her best friend. Hitomi had wanted Sayaka's blessing to date Kyosuke. The situation was oddly similar, but Sayaka hasn't even officially given Hitomi a proper blessing. So maybe she wouldn't feel ready to give Homura her blessing until Madoka had accepted Homura's feelings. In both cases though, it was a tall order to fill. At least in Madoka's situation, Sayaka didn't have her own feelings to consider.

In any case, if she wanted this to go smoother, she was going to have to try to get a better read on Madoka's feelings on the matter and try to get to know the transfer student better. So it was probably best to let the conversation go for now. Her mind heaved a mental sigh, barely willing to deal with this so soon after her own love conundrum.

"Say, Madoka," Sayaka started, deciding to get a head start on gathering information, "how did you two meet, anyway? You said you knew her before she transferred in?"

_"Well…"_ Madoka sounded suddenly embarrassed. _"I first met her in a dream… or something?"_

"Huh?" Sayaka raised an incredulous brow. What did that even mean?

_"Never mind,"_ Madoka said quickly, sounding flustered. Sayaka tilted her head quizzically, deciding not to press the issue further.

"Well I'll say this about transfer student I guess," the softball player mused. "If you're okay with her, then she can't be that bad."

_"Really?"_ Madoka sounded completely elated by the idea that her friends would be friendly friends with each other because friendship.

"Then again, you're okay with just about everyone," Sayaka went back to being coy, dipping her voice in skepticism. "So it's kind of my job to not be okay with people for you."

_"That's not true, Sayaka-chan," _Madoka said tersely._ "I'm not a naïve little girl you have to protect anymore. I can judge people for myself, and Homura is a good person."_

"Haha. Uh… Sorry, I guess?" Sayaka said in confusion and embarrassment. Sayaka's playfulness was effectively watered down, and she felt a bit sheepish after being chastised by Madoka. Now that she thought about it, it was disrespectful of Sayaka to suggest Madoka hadn't changed after all these years. It was just hard for Sayaka to admit that she didn't have to protect her from those who would take advantage of her kindness. Madoka tended to only see the good in people and ignore the bad, but maybe that wasn't the case anymore.

Madoka sighed audibly from the other end of the line. _"I can't believe you don't trust me on this."_

Sayaka was taken aback by her friend's reproach. She clearly didn't appreciate Sayaka's misgivings. Sayaka frowned, now realizing that she should apologize for not giving her friend enough credit. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that Madoka, of course I trust you! I guess I just can't help but worry about you is all. "

_"Well…ok then,"_ Madoka said more cheerfully. _"Hey Sayaka? I have to go now. Can I call you back later?"_

"Oh? Yeah that's fine, thanks for listening."

_"Anytime."_

Sayaka hung up the phone and rolled onto her side, a small smile playing on her lips. She really did feel a little better. Like she was finally on the upswing, thanks to Madoka being so supportive! Also thanks to Kyoko, who treated her the same as usual so that Sayaka felt like nothing was wrong with her world at all. She knew Kyoko didn't care at all about how her love life was going, and it provided a steady pillar of normalcy for Sayaka to fall back on when she didn't want to think about Kyosuke anymore.

Feeling brave, Sayaka looked at the phone in her hand with a considering expression. She had avoided the thing all day, painfully aware of the messages that likely awaited her. But like any teenager, she couldn't resist the urge to check her phone.

A few messages popped up immediately, alerting Sayaka to some social networks that consisted of her classmates goading her about her public confession to Kyosuke. Aggravated by the reminders, she promptly dismissed them and tried to dig up something on other sites that had nothing to do with that incident. Not finding anything worthwhile, she was about ready to turn off her phone when she noticed she had a text from Hitomi. Sayaka paused at the message, hesitating all of three seconds before she swiped it open to read it.

"I hope ur feeling better! I heard you talked with Kamijou, so I hope everything is ok! I'm here if u feel like talking! :* "

Hitomi had an odd habit of overusing smileys, particularly the colorfully exploding ones that contradicted her messages. Sayaka couldn't help but smirk slightly at the animated smileys dancing across her screen.

Perhaps she _could_ message Hitomi back. Sayaka had been happy to go to Madoka, but… Hitomi was one of her friends too. They weren't rivals for Kyosuke's affections anymore, she had to remind herself. Kyosuke chose Hitomi, and Sayaka decided that she would support them. She shook her head furiously to dispel the jealousy that threatened to resurface. She was going to accept this new reality and like it dammit! Nodding to herself in resolve, she tightened her fist around the phone to the point that the poor thing about ready to snap. She noticed it after a moment and hurriedly loosened her grasp.

She read the message again and quickly typed back a reply. "Thanks! I am feeling better! Kyosuke is all yours now, the lucky bastard!" Sayaka read the message over several times, and wondered if her use of exclamation points would come across as covering up any pain. Nah, she was overthinking it. She hit the 'send' button before she was tempted to discard the message all together. She jumped in surprise when her phone vibrated a few seconds later.

"yay! ^_^ #YOLO" was Hitomi's quick response, which made a vein in Sayaka's head pop in annoyance.

"… Do you even know what 'YOLO' means?"

"Well, no, I just assumed it was a happy American acronym! "

Sayaka sighed in defeat. Hitomi was useless when it came to text conversations! 'This is who I lost to?' Sayaka blanched in disbelief. She didn't think that in a resentful way; rather she just found it funny how silly her friend could be.

A small giggle escaped her lips. She had forgotten how much fun she had with Hitomi before they became bitter rivals. Upon realizing this, Sayaka started to think that maybe what happened today was a good thing. Even though it meant she had to let go of a relationship with the guy she loved, at least she regained the good friendship she once had with Hitomi again.

"I just looked it up. Sorry, not what I meant, promise!" Hitomi messaged with a whole row of sad smileys. "I was just very happy to hear you say that!"

"Suuuuuure," Sayaka thumbed in with a smile. After that bout of laughter, she no longer felt like talking about what happened anymore, so she changed the subject. "Hey, did you know that Homura likes Madoka?"

"It's very obvious!"

"Well, do you know if Madoka likes her back?"

"Girls can't love girls! XD"

Sayaka felt that vein in her head throb again, not wanting to warrant such a bad joke with a response. That was not what she wanted to hear! What she wanted to know was what the girl knew about Madoka's feelings, but now she was just put off by all of her innocent trolling. It was partly her fault too; if she had just called Hitomi, then there wouldn't have been any miscommunication. Oh well…YOLO. Sayaka facepalmed—god she was tired.

"Whatever, going to nap now!" Sayaka typed in, setting her phone aside. A second later it vibrated and Sayaka picked it back up reluctantly.

"Sayaka, I'm really happy we managed to work this out. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Sayaka read the message a few times, a slow smile eventually making its way onto her face. She replied back with a simple "I think I do."

After it got sent and Sayaka turned off her phone, Sayaka noticed that her head was no longer on her pillow and her feet were dangling off the edge of the bed. She forgot that she had been rolling around the bed while talking to her friends, which was probably why she was extra tired now. Her limbs were so worn out that she couldn't move to a more comfortable position even if she wanted to. At this point, she could fall asleep on a bed of nails and sleep like a baby.

Talking to her friends really did make her feel so much better, the shadows in her heart weakening from the encouraging light of her friends' words. She could feel herself drifting off to sleep already without that weight, and before she knew it, she was out like a light.

.=.=.

When Madoka ended her phone call with Sayaka, she felt confident that Sayaka would be ok. And with that taken care of, now she could check up on another friend. Madoka made her way to the only bathroom in the house with bathing facilities and knocked.

"Homura?" She called before she opened the door and walked into the spacious room. "Are you almost done in the bath?" She politely stood away from the fogged-up glass walls that closed off the bathing area.

At the sound of her voice, Homura ducked her head deeper into the steaming pool. She hugged her knees to her chest in embarrassment, the very idea of being naked in Madoka's bathtub making her self-conscious.

She couldn't decide if passing out in Madoka's driveway and being invited to stay the night counted as good luck or not. She supposed it was a good thing, since it meant spending more time with Madoka. The only problem was that her rattled nerves were making it rather difficult to enjoy the experience!

"I'll be out soon," Homura answered in a low voice. The dark haired girl grabbed one of the bars of soap and wondered if it was the one Madoka used, the thought turning her red so fast that she thought she'd have a heat stroke. It was bad enough already that she had almost fainted earlier when Madoka asked if she could take a bath with her! Thank god she decided to go call Sayaka, because Homura wasn't sure if she could've stopped herself from doing something she might regret. She had acted on an impulsive decision earlier that day in the locker room, and she had no desire to repeat a fiasco (or disaster) like that any time soon.

"I'm leaving a towel for you," Madoka called, placing a towel near Homura's change of clothes. "I'll be helping Papa out in the kitchen. Join us when you're ready!"

"Okay." Homura listened to Madoka's echoing footsteps fade away before standing up in the tub. She proceeded to wash herself quickly with the bar of soap, mindfully keeping her lewd thoughts at bay.

When she finished, she stepped onto the specially-designed heated floor tiles. She let herself soak up the warmth in the soles of her feet before sliding the glass door open and walking toward the clothes and towel left for her. As she started drying off, she caught a glimpse of her wistful expression in the expansive mirror on the wall. Her violet eyes trailed down to the faint scar that ran vertically down the middle of her chest. She still wasn't used to seeing what remained of the surgeon's incision, and whenever she did, it brought back memories of being in the hospital.

It seemed like the surgery happened years ago, even though it had only been a few months since she left the hospital and transferred to Madoka's school. So much had happened to Homura since then that the entire experience felt awfully surreal. Everything was different now, and it was all thanks to a girl named Madoka Kaname.

Homura noticed her face soften unconsciously at the thought of the other girl. She really was crushing on her big time, wasn't she? There was no denying that the girl was constantly on her mind. Heck, if she could make a wish to get a dollar every time she wondered how Madoka felt about her, she'd be a multi-millionaire by now.

It was crazy to think that her infatuation with Madoka started after an accidental turn of events from her life-changing operation. Madoka had been there to help her adjust to her new life, and their evolving friendship was fresh and electrifying to Homura, and she wondered if Madoka felt a special spark as well. And with that, Homura imagined a new deposit being made to her Madoka-musing fund as her thoughts came full circle. As her trip down memory lane came to an end, her scar disappeared from sight as she fastened the last button of her shirt. She picked up a brush, combed out her hair, and continued thinking up new and perplexing ways to scrutinize her feelings.

Homura knew there was no point in wondering how Madoka felt about her, but she couldn't help it. She could guess how she felt all day, but never know what she was actually thinking until she asked. Problem was that Homura was way too scared to ask Madoka directly or even admit her own feelings. So far she had tried dropping a few shy hints here and there without outright saying it, but it wasn't exactly working. So Homura figured that the only chance Madoka would understand how she felt was to tell her directly. The only problem was she had no idea how or when to confess her feelings.

She had at least set the groundwork for her confession by winning over Madoka's friends and family.

The groundwork was still a little shaky, given that she stumbled over the issue with Sayaka, but at least it seemed like she had Junko's approval.

All that was left to do was practice the confession part.

Homura put her comb down and stared at her reflection for a few moments before clearing her throat.

"Madoka… I like you," she said quietly to herself. She peered around the room in paranoia, but no one seemed to be within earshot. She turned her violet eyes back to the mirror and placed her hands on the sink edge.

"Madoka… I need you. Rather… I love you!"

Homura's stoic face held for a few moments before it swiftly devolved into a blushing mess, making Homura cover her face with her hands and moan. She didn't know if she could do this.

At that moment the door banged open, making Homura yelp and jump. She turned to see Madoka's toddler brother shuffling into the bathroom with a big easy grin on his face. "Madoka, love you!" He parroted very loudly. Madoka's father quickly appeared and snatched the boy up.

"Tatsuya! You don't go into a bathroom while another girl is in there! Especially when they're practicing their confession!" The man gave Homura a quick apologetic look before shutting the door.

But it was too late—Homura had already turned into a gargoyle. She was still white with shock when Madoka went looking for her a few minutes later.

* * *

><p>AN- Man, this chapter went missing for who knows how long, but worry not! My ass was saved by Shironi, who saved the chapter for me and is a treasure!


	14. I refuse to hold myself back anymore

Previously on _A Happy Dream:_

Kyoko and Sayaka just conceived their sixth baby! But will this interfere with their sex lives?

* * *

><p>After Sayaka had left the room, Kyoko started to freak out a tiny bit. Sayaka's little fake advancement had thrown her off guard, and if she hadn't frozen, who knows what she would've done?<p>

She shuddered in horror at just how much control her libido had over her thoughts. Seriously, what the hell was wrong with her? She never had to deal with that issue before in her _life_, so why was she suddenly all out of sorts when it came to Sayaka? She couldn't make sense of it. Yeah, she was attracted to Sayaka, and that was weird in and of itself, but that's wasn't what was bothering her. Kyoko felt like there was… more to it than just wanting to jump the other girl's bones.

Maybe it had something to do with that friendship thing Sayaka was talking about earlier? It had been a while since she had any sort of relationship with people, but for some reason she felt like there was more to it than that. Something that kept her coming back, a missing connection she couldn't make sense of.

When the hell did her life get so complicated? She didn't want to think about all of this shit! Not the fact that she was attracted to her new friend, or that she had a business card burning a hole in her pants pocket, or anything!

Kyoko growled in aggravation—she had to get her mind off of this somehow. She threw on a bathrobe as quickly as possible and stormed out of the bathroom, picking up the clothes she'd taken off earlier and shoving them into the really odd laundry cute thing before slamming the door. After that she leaned against the wall, folded her arms, and furrowed her brows in annoyance while she waited.

It was Sayaka's job to get all dramatic about feelings, not hers. What happened to the days where all she had to worry about was where to sleep and what to eat? Actually she knew fine well those days weren't exactly over. It was probably only a matter of time that Sayaka would kick her out after all. Maybe she should go back to her temporary residence and collect the clothes and other items she had stashed there. Well, assuming it hadn't already been stolen already that is. Still it would be handy to have on hand if she decided to skip town again if things got too weird.

When the machine buzzed a couple of minutes later, she changed into her clean street clothes. With that taken care of, she peered around the apartment with a scowl. Since Sayaka was taking a nap or whatever, there was nothing to do now! Not that she wanted to _do_ Sayaka, mind you! She just meant…ah screw it. She did want to do Sayaka, so sue her! Goddammit, she was supposed to be focusing on figuring out how she felt about Sayaka, not arguing with herself about ways to _do_ Sayaka!

All she knew was that she didn't want to go back to thinking about her life, so she needed a distraction. Her first idea brought her attention to Sayaka's door. Earlier she had been slightly disappointed about Sayaka not inviting her to take a nap, but then she remembered Sayaka was a hair molester, so it was probably for the best.

Since she had nothing better to do, Kyoko decided to check if Sayaka had fallen asleep yet. She quietly opened the door, and started to listen. Instead of hearing snores, she heard Sayaka talking to herself. Wait "Madoka…?" Oh she was probably talking on the phone. She decided to listen for a while and see if she could use anything to tease Sayaka with later. As she listened, apparently there was a lot more that happened to Sayaka than your typical school day. It was still pretty dull though, so she stopped listening when she heard the line "I'm proud of me too." It was so cheesy that it made her want to gag, so she took her leave.

The gist of the conversation was that Sayaka had officially given up on violin boy. Then again, Sayaka had mentioned something about confessing earlier, didn't she? Yeah, it was right before she mentioned Homura almost got naked for her. Huh.

Well, it's not like she cared anyway, Kyoko groused as she walked away, even though a tiny, annoying part of her felt relieved. Now she didn't have to listen to anymore of Sayaka's crappy love life! Hopefully.

'Well that was a pretty dumb waste of time,' she thought, 'now what?' Her usual distractions were either taking a nap or eating. She decided to let her body tell her which one sounded the most appealing. Now that she was listening to it for a sec, her stomach growled loudly and her eyes demanded sleep. Guess she was more tired than she realized. Food did sound pretty good, but sleep would take much less effort. She took the latter option because staying awake meant thinking, and thinking meant decisions that had to made, and decisions meant that her life would be changing one way or another.

She flopped backwards onto the couch and placed her hands behind her head. She cleared her head and closed her eyes. Whether it was a park bench or a couch, sleep always came easily to Kyoko, even if it never treated her well.

.=.=.

Sayaka couldn't have been asleep for more than an hour before something unpleasant woke her up. That 'something' being just plain _silence._ The blunette groaned and rolled over in her bed, burying her face in the sheets.

It was way too quiet, wasn't it?

Sayaka groaned again and forced open her eyelids. Her vision was fuzzy and her body felt stiff and sluggish. It was moments like these where Sayaka remembered why naps_ sucked_. Or maybe it was because she was woken up against her will by all this loud quiet! Not to mention the dream that was rapidly fading and made her feel as if she was forgetting something important. When she tried to recall what it was, the redhead's face immediately came to mind.

"Kyoko?" Sayaka croaked out as threateningly as she could with a dry throat. She fumbled out of bed as fast as she could, staggering over her own feet towards the door. When she yanked it open, she only hoped Kyoko hadn't run out on her while she was sleeping. The apartment was quiet and foreboding, the empty darkness sending a chill down her spine.

"Kyoko!" The clarity in her mind was still reeling from having just woken up as she looked around for signs of the redhead. She suddenly stopped short when a random snore erupted from the throat of the one she was looking for.

Following the noise to the couch, Sayaka found Kyoko lying on her back asleep. Her own snore seemed to have startled the girl in her sleep, and her face scrunched up as she shifted slightly to the side. Sayaka slowly covered her face with her hands, ashamed with herself at how fast she had almost come to panicking over her. She breathed out and rubbed her tired eyes before dropping her hands from her face. Soft blue eyes lingered curiously on Kyoko's now peaceful, slumbering expression.

She didn't look like she was having a nightmare this time, unlike the last time she saw her sleeping. 'That's good,' she thought to herself, unconsciously reaching down to gently brush the hair out of the face. Sayaka froze, fearing that she had woken her up with the gesture. The redhead just curled her lips into a small, fanged smile and slept on.

Sayaka smiled softly in relief. No point in waking her up since she could probably use the sleep. And she didn't feel like going back to her own nap now that she was wide awake from her brief moment of panic. Maybe if she had just invited Kyoko to sleep with her, there wouldn't have been a reason to panic and she could've went back to sleep. She wouldn't be surprised if Kyoko had listened to her conversation with Madoka anyway…and would it have been so bad to have someone to hold while she cried instead of a pillow? Sayaka automatically snorted at the ridiculous notion, a little taken aback that she would even consider such a strange thing.

Suddenly her stomach growled, which drew her attention towards the kitchen. Kyoko had made her pancakes this morning, so it was only natural to return the favor. It was the least she could do.

.=.=.

Kyoko's nose was revived before Kyoko's brain. Her limp body rose upright in reaction to the tantalizing scent, eyes still closed and brain just barely sparking to life. Her nose took one deep whiff of the air and it was enough to make her mouth water instantly. Kyoko wondered what that delicious smell was, and gradually opened her sleepy red eyes to find out.

She stood up with a groan and shambled over to the source, spotting Sayaka at the kitchen counter with her back turned to Kyoko. She appeared to be chopping something up while other food was cooking on the stove.

"Hey," Kyoko greeted while she rubbed an eye with the back of her hand. "What's cooking?"

Sayaka turned to her. "Hey, Kyoko," she said, sniffling. Kyoko jerked back in surprise when she saw tears streaming down the other girl's face.

"Eh, what, what's wrong?" Kyoko asked, now startled awake.

"Oh," Sayaka wiped at her eyes, a smirk on her face. "I was just chopping onions!" Her hand gestured to the cutting board with onions on it.

"Ah…" Kyoko mused and blew hair out of her face in annoyance. "You freaked me out there for a second. I suck at consoling girls when they cry," she muttered, moving until she was standing next to Sayaka.

"I know," Sayaka said teasingly, remembering when she had a meltdown in the elevator with Kyoko the other day. The redhead had offered her _Twinkies_ as a way of comfort when they got back to the apartment. Her attempt at making her feel better was a bit awkward and unrefined, but worked all the same. Kyoko wasn't as bad at dealing with crying girls as she thought she was, though Sayaka would never admit it out loud.

"I'm just whipping something up— shouldn't be much longer!"

"Hmm," Kyoko leaned against the stove and peered into the frying pan. Steam wafted in her face and she breathed it in, making her mouth water even more. "So you _can_ cook."

"Don't sound so surprised," Sayaka replied, going back to chopping. "Sayaka-chan is about to blow your mind!"

Kyoko chuckled heartily at that. "I can think of better things for you to blow," she muttered quietly.

"What?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all. Anyway I'm starving, so chop-chop will ya?" Kyoko said with a stupid grin.

Sayaka muttered a predictable reply along the lines of 'you're always hungry,' then went back to the task at hand.

Kyoko simply smiled and leaned against the counter on her elbow with her face propped up by her hand, and watched Sayaka cook. She had to admit: seeing Sayaka cook, apron over her t-shirt and pajama bottoms and all, felt very homely. Kyoko liked the feeling. Then a mischievous grin spread across her face as she also entertained the thought of Sayaka in nothing _but_ the apron.

Having finished the onions, Sayaka turned to her and her eyes widened immediately. "Kyoko, you're on fire!"

"Are you trying to say I'm hot?" Kyoko started to say, but then looked down and noticed she was right. She had thought the warm sensation was coming from her perverted thoughts, not an actual fire!

"Gah!"

The side of her tank top had turned into a ring of fire that was quickly growing wider. The redhead hastily tried to pat it out. Sayaka pushed the frantic hands aside and grabbed the top of her shirt, ripping it off over Kyoko's head and throwing it to the ground. Both girls panted over the smoldering singed cloth while they caught their breaths.

"Jeez, are you alright? What kind of idiot presses themselves against a hot stove?" Sayaka asked in a disbelieving tone as she grabbed a towel and quickly ran it under cold water.

"Ah dammit, your stupid stove ruined my favorite top! I thought it was supposed to be advanced or some shit!" Kyoko hissed in pain when Sayaka walked up to her and pressed a cold towel right up against her belly, where the fire had started. "Uh…I don't think you're supposed to put something cold on a burn wound," Kyoko said, trying to recall something she'd heard.

Sayaka yanked the towel away in a panic. "Then what do I do?" She got on her knees to get a better look at the red mark on Kyoko's stomach as Kyoko leaned back against the counter.

"Hell if I know! Maybe you should blow on it or something?" Kyoko suggested off the top of her head. She gasped in surprise when Sayaka did just that, gently blowing cool air across her bare belly, sending some very tingly sensations over her sensitive torso. All of a sudden Kyoko was _very _much aware that she was currently topless with Sayaka on her knees in front of her. Now the burn was the furthest thing on her mind as her face went beet red. She placed her hand on top of Sayaka's head to stop her.

"Forget it, it's not that bad," Kyoko urged.

"Wait, I think it might be working!" Sayaka insisted eagerly, doing it again and making Kyoko flinch at the action. Her teeth gritted as she resisted the urge to push Sayaka's face _against_ her.

"How in the hell can you tell if it's working or not?" Kyoko spoke over her embarrassment, voice an octave higher.

"I don't know!"

"Then _stop blowing me!"_

After her exclamation, the still smoldering tank top suddenly flared up with renewed flames, making the two girls shout in alarm. Sayaka sprang up and stamped out the fire with her foot, then leapt into Kyoko's arms in pain when she realized she wasn't wearing any shoes. Kyoko fell over from surprise, her hand brushing the heat knob of the stove as they both went down.

They tumbled to the floor in a heap, with Kyoko on top and accidentally crushing Sayaka's face beneath her naked chest.

Then the stove top burst into flames.

.=.=.

"What the hell, we're still alive," Kyouko observed after they stopped the fire and she had proper medication applied to her burns.

Sayaka was washing soot off her face. "Lets try not to think about it too hard..." Sayaka took her own advice, occupying herself with putting slightly-charred food on plates.

After a moment Sayaka was setting down the completed dish in front of Kyoko on the table.

"Ta-da! Hamburger parmesan. Grilled hamburger patty topped with mozzarella cheese, topped with olive-rubbed spaghetti noodles, topped with pasta sauce, topped with parmesan cheese. " Luckily the fire didn't affect the food _too_ much.

"Holy crap!" Kyoko's eyes sparkled, and she was practically banging her utensils into the table like a little kid in expectation. "I have to admit Sayaka, that looks goddamn impressive! It almost looks out of your league..." She shot Sayaka a narrowed-eyed look of distrust, as if the food belayed some sinister purpose.

Sayaka sat next to Kyoko with her own plate. "Don't question it, just eat it."

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Kyoko said with a grin, and Sayaka couldn't help smiling back, pride swelling up in her from Kyoko's unexpected eager reception. Usually everyone refused to eat what she cooked! She wondered why that was, exactly?

When Kyoko took a bite of the food, her taste buds exploded and and her eyes nearly popped of her head as her hand came up to her mouth. Kyoko's eaten many questionable things in her life, but this was just... "Oh god," Kyoko choked out after she forced her mouthful down her throat. She hastily reached for a glass and chugged down the contents, hoping to at least wash the taste from her mouth. "That's the worst thing I've _ever _eaten!"

"Excuse me?" Sayaka rose in immediate offense, hands on the table. "It is not!"

"It totally is!" Kyoko matched the other girls' affectation. "How exactly did you manage to pull _that_ off, huh? It looks and smells fine, for crying out loud!"

"It is fine!" Sayaka maintained, boldly shoveling as much food she could hold into her mouth only for her eyes to go wide immediately. She nearly spit the food right out but one look at Kyoko's smug look and she forced herself to chew. She stubbornly maintained eye contact with the redhead as she swallowed the huge lump of despair in the form of food in her mouth. She reached for her own glass and took a long drink.

"...See?" Sayaka's strained voice was lined with bruised pride. "It's not so bad..." She couldn't stop the massive shudder that came over her from the lingering taste in her mouth.

Kyoko grinned widely as her eyes took in this hilarious sight. 'What the hell, this is kind of hot,' Kyoko thought to herself aster a moment, her concern with discovering what she was into only growing as Sayaka made the most disgusted face ever.

"Oh my god, okay, this is pretty bad," Sayaka admitted after quickly wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"You weren't wrong about blowing my mind with your food, at least!" Kyoko guffawed loudly in triumph as she brought another helping to her mouth. "Please tell me your cooking doesn't taste like this all the time."

"Not all the time," Sayaka replied defensively. She left out that it's been a while since her last attempt to cook. Years, to be exact. Her last attempt had involved a younger Madoka crying after eating Sayaka's cookies.

"Well, whatever."

"Are you crazy?!" Horror washed over Sayaka's face as Kyoko nonchalantly took another bite. "You don't have to eat that!"

Kyoko shook her head firmly as she quickly and thoroughly chewed. "'S fine," she muttered around a mouthful of food. "Can't waste this. 'Specially food you made for me!" She shot Sayaka a grin, which was ruined by the grimace that forced its way through the smile. "Thanks for the meal, by the way."

Sayaka blinked at the remark, honestly bewildered. Her gaze followed Kyoko's every movement, hypnotized as she brought yet another mouthful of food to her lips. "You're welcome?" she stated in confusion, though her eyes softened with genuine affection. Kyoko grunted, trying to focus on finishing her meal.

The blunette looked down at her own plate with reluctant determination. If Kyoko was eating the food... then so should she.

Kyoko made a sound of appreciation when Sayaka renewed the effort of consuming her own creation.

The following minutes was spent in silence for the most part; aside from the occasional gag.

Growing restless, Kyoko wiped at her mouth and peered over at Sayaka. Maybe she should try initiating conversation first? She was never one to over think and usually she just said whatever came to mind, but since they were friends or whatever now, perhaps she should be more... what was the word? _Friendly?_

So then… what should she talk about? Maybe about that weird dream she had about being a candle? She quickly dismissed that idea since what little she remembered left her unsettled. Maybe she could ask about what Sayaka's deal was with that guy?

Kyoko grimaced at the thought. She didn't want to talk about that at all! But it was something that was pertinent to Sayaka, so… maybe she should try caring more about it, as much as the notion pricked at her conscious like an insistent mosquito. In any case, itseemed like Sayaka had talked about it already, so it wasn't like she was going to talk her ear off about some random boy she happened to like for. Some. Reason. Kyoko. Could. Not. _Fathom!_

The redhead grit her teeth and attempted to force the question past her lips.

"S-so…"

"So what's bothering you, Kyoko?"

"Huh?" Kyoko was surprised at the quick turn-about and blinked in confusion. The blunette pointed at Kyoko's face and then to her plate.

"You stopped eating, and you look like you're thinking too hard." Sayaka shrugged. "I don't want you to hurt yourself by using your brain too much, so you might as well tell me, the amazing Sayaka-chan, what's up."

'_You're bothering me!'_ Kyoko thought indignantly while giving Sayaka an irritated huff as a response. "I was actually about to ask you a similar question."

"Were you?" Sayaka asked curiously, and Kyoko nodded in response. "Heh, that's new," Sayaka mused. After a moment though, the girl shrugged. "I confessed to the guy I liked today. It didn't go over very well."

"Ah." Well, she fessed up quicker than expected. The last time Kyoko had tried to get Sayaka to admit her feelings, she had to corner her in an elevator! The redhead tilted her head, wondering what had changed in their relationship between now and then. Was it the whole friendship thing, and she trusted Kyoko more now, or something? Kyoko pushed the questions to the back of her mind and went with the flow. "Get rejected?"

"Yeah," Sayaka confirmed quietly.

Kyoko recommenced eating, choosing her words carefully. "Sucks." Genius.

Sayaka snorted. "Yeah."

Kyoko gave Sayaka a steady appraising look. "You alright, though?"

Sayaka smiled softly at her. That must have been the first time today where that question did not bother her, and she answered sincerely. "Yes."

Kyoko chewed thoughtfully. Sayaka's voice was upfront with a hint of sadness, but it wasn't really a sadness that gave Kyoko concern. It sounded honest, a hopeful kind of sadness, if there was such a thing.

Huh. Kyoko guessed that her friendship quota for this conversation had been met and she nodded at the blunette, grinning in approval. "So what're you going to do now?"

Again, that question came up. Sayaka shrugged lamely. "I'll guess I'll learn to play the guitar, write a song about it, and make millions." That got a snort of amusement out of Kyoko.

"As long as the song isn't overly pop-y or sappy, I'm down."

Sayaka saw that Kyoko was already halfway through her plate while she herself had eaten about half as much. She had wanted to ask about what was bothering Kyoko while she still had her at the table, bound by food.

"Your turn," Sayaka said expectantly. Kyoko raised a brow at her. Sayaka continued, "That's the reason my day sucked. Well, besides you almost killing us with your stove ineptitude." She smirked teasingly, making red eyes narrow at her. "I showed you mine, so you show me yours. That's fair, right?" She presented as casually as she could. She was really hoping Kyoko would reveal what she had been doing today while Sayaka wasn't with her. Hopefully nothing stupid.

Kyoko made an uncomfortable noise and glared off to the side as she considered that. It really wouldn't be fair to ask about Sayaka and not expect to get asked a similar question in return. Was Sayaka already learning how to deal with her?

Pft, as if.

Point was, Kyoko didn't want to talk about what bothered her, because it would be letting Sayaka know that she actually _was_ the point of annoyance in Kyoko's conscious at the moment. Of course there was a more pressing, time-sensitive thing that bothered Kyoko as well: the internship. It wasn't something Kyoko had planned on sharing, but since she was staying with Sayaka anyway, the blunette would have to know eventually, right? Assuming Kyoko actually decided to take the internship.

When Kyoko's eyes returned to look at Sayaka she was surprised to see Sayaka's face up close to hers. The short haired girl had her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized Kyoko's face.

"What?" Kyoko snapped.

"I told you not to hurt yourself thinking too hard," Sayaka muttered as she searched Kyoko's eyes, making the other girl tense up. Her blue eyes narrowed slightly further. "You haven't done anything _suspicious_, have you?"

"I can't think with you looking at me that close!" Kyoko rolled her eyes and leaned forward to bump their foreheads together, pushing Sayaka back. Kyoko admonished with a modest blush coloring her cheeks, "You've barely eaten. Hurry it up, or I'll finish it for you."

Sayaka sat back and rubbed her forehead where Kyoko bumped their heads together, frowning in slight disappointment. "Fine, fine," she sighed, digging into her meal. If Kyoko didn't want to talk about it, then there really wasn't anything Sayaka could do about that.

"So I have this _friend_," Kyoko suddenly said in a loud awkward voice.

Sayaka blinked in surprise. "You have other friends?"

Kyoko glowered at her for moment, cleared her throat, and then proceeded to pretend Sayaka hadn't just spoken. "_So I have this friend_," she growled out in annoyance. God, this was stupid. Not only was she going to share with Sayaka, but she was telling it in the dumbest way possible! She could barely get the words out of her mouth!

"She got this offer for an internship, but… she doesn't know whether she wants to do it or not," she said quickly in a single breath. "It's unclear to her."

Sayaka's face just looked plain confused. "Huh? Your imaginary friend was offered an internship?"

Kyoko wanted to grab her and shake her. She certainly wasn't making this any easier for Kyoko to say! "She's not imaginary, shut up and listen!"

"Okay okay, I'm listening!" Sayaka said with her hands up to placate the redhead. Kyoko grumbled a few choice words before starting again.

"Anyway… this internship came out of nowhere, right? She didn't want it, didn't ask for it, but… it's there! And she doesn't really know what to do about it, or whether she's cut out for it or if she even… _deserves_ it."

The more she spoke, the more Sayaka became intrigued. She was becoming wrapped up in the story, and her interest became apparent as her eyes seemed to grow larger and she found herself leaning forward. Kyoko had never spoken about other friends before, had she? And she was naturally tight-lipped about herself, so would she really bring up someone else's problem? Especially with her? And wait, didn't she mention something about an internship earlier? It seemed like she was joking then when Sayaka had asked about her day. Was Kyoko… was she attempting to…? Open up to her right now? The thought sent a thrill through her and she latched onto the idea.

"An internship? That's great, Kyoko!"

Kyoko winced at Sayaka's exclamation. "I-is it?"

"Of course it is!" Sayaka was smiling widely, though she didn't know if it was because Kyoko might be asking for advice from her, or because of the actual internship. "Why wouldn't it be?" Kyoko shifted in her spot uncomfortably and Sayaka's smile faded somewhat. "Unless… It's not a _questionable_ internship, is it? It's a scam, isn't it?"

"What? No. No!" Kyoko snorted. The delinquent played around with the food left on her dish, feeling a little uncertain. "Like I said, I – this _friend_ of mine - she doesn't deserve a chance like that. She'd probably just screw it up anyway. It always seems like everything she touches turns to shit. Actually," she turned her eyes to the side ashamedly, "everything she touches… goes up in flames."

"That's not true," Sayaka said, leaning back in her seat, watching Kyoko. "Well, the fire thing is, but… isn't that just a mental issue? A mental block?"

"Yeah, a mental thing…" Kyoko felt annoyed that her problem was broken down to a simple "mental issue," but she begrudgingly relented. She supposed it _was _a mental issue. Kyoko resumed eating with renewed fervor, tearing into her food as if channeling her frustration with the situation. Was telling Sayaka even going to be helpful? Kyoko was starting to doubt her decision.

"I get that," Sayaka said quietly, catching Kyoko's attention.

"Get what?"

"The mental thing," Sayaka answered in a muted voice while smiling slightly at the wording. "I mean, I didn't confess to the guy I liked for _years_ because of some… mental block that I placed on myself. I was afraid to get hurt, you know? I was afraid that I didn't deserve him. And in the end, I got hurt anyway." Sayaka smirked mirthlessly. "It wasn't surprising, though. Because I kept holding myself back, I lost him. There's no one to blame but myself."

A dark look briefly crossed her features but she shook it off to continue. "I don't want… or rather, I refuse to hold myself back anymore. To hell with weird mental blocks. Because from now on, I want to try being more direct with my feelings. The next time I fall in love with someone, they'll be the first person to know the moment I realize it!" She declared her resolve with a winning smile. "Though, I suspect I won't have to worry about something like that for a very long time."

Kyoko was staring at her in slight wonderment. Sayaka's resolve to improve herself was admirable at least, but they both knew it wasn't going to be so easy. Still, what Sayaka said about mental blocks seemed to make a lot of sense. After all, she had created her own blocks that prevented her from growing roots, to form relationships. But now that she thought about it… wasn't she slowly overcoming those blocks herself? Because of Sayaka? Seemed like all she needed now was the right push.

"My friend really doesn't deserve it though," Kyoko pointed out as if it was the obvious thing to counter Sayaka's words.

Sayaka shrugged in response. "Then, work hard to prove yourself wrong. Oh, I'm sorry, your _friend_," she corrected herself as Kyoko's face displayed her embarrassment. Sayaka's face turned kindly. "But if you really want to know what I think, I think you deserve good things to happen to you."

Kyoko scoffed slightly in disbelief. "Yeah right."

Sayaka wondered what that was all about. "I'm serious, Kyoko. I think you deserve all sorts of things coming to you, but good things too!" Sayaka said jokingly, but Kyoko pursed her lips and shook her head, looking away from her as if refusing to compromise on this point. Sayaka's smile faltered.

"Kyoko," Sayaka said her name in a way that beckoned the other girl to look at her. After a moment Kyoko's crimson eyes glanced at her expectantly, and Sayaka was slightly taken aback by the fact that her eyes had taken on a glassy quality.

Sayaka didn't really know what to say, so she wordlessly put her arm around Kyoko's shoulders and pulled her in for a tight hug. Kyoko's body stiffened up immediately and Sayaka could actually feel her strong pulse picking up through the other girl's body. But Kyoko wasn't actively resisting or pushing her away, so Sayaka pressed her face into Kyoko's hair in the most reassuring way she could.

Kyoko's natural scent hit her, and it oddly enough made Sayaka feel a little nervous and her heart sped up. She smelled like a cool breeze on a red autumn day, and Sayaka had to resist the impulse to inhale more of that pleasant scent.

"Kyoko, you've helped me out more than you know just by being here," Sayaka said softly, Kyoko's pulse fluttering beneath her fingertips. "If you decide to do this, I'll help you. Alright? We'll make it worthwhile."

"I don't need help," Kyoko spoke up, voice slightly rougher in a way that Sayaka might not have picked up on if they weren't so close. "I've never asked for any help."

"Well too bad, because Sayaka-chan is on the job!" Sayaka worked up a smile and released Kyoko from her hug to flex her bicep muscle.

Kyoko just stared at her in slight disbelief. This was ridiculous. She was seriously just hugged and reassured just now! And it was goddamned freakishly effective! Her insides actually felt slightly shaken by Sayaka's actions, and she could only pray it didn't show on her face. Was there no limit to the span of emotions this girl could evoke from her? Was this some sort of hero-idiot superpower?

The redhead chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before sighing in defeat and sagging slightly in her spot.

"Fuck it, I'm convinced," she said the words with a slight bewilderment, as if she couldn't believe Sayaka managed to talk her into this shit.

"Really?" Sayaka's smile slowly grew to a full-on grin.

"Really," Kyoko huffed and looked away, hiding a smile. At that, Sayaka threw both arms around Kyoko and hugged her even more tightly. "Dammit woman, stop with the hugging!" Kyoko yelled, reeling from all the hugs she was suddenly on the receiving end of. She couldn't remember the last time she was hugged so much! Well, she could, actually. Kyoko wallowed in that memory for a second before she was distracted by Sayaka saying something about making her a third wife and she playfully shoved the overzealous blunette off of her.

Sayaka didn't seem to mind the shove, because she was honestly happy at the moment. Happy that Kyoko confided in her and that she was able to help in some way. She felt that in some way she was already fulfilling her resolve to be a better friend. And what better person to start with then the person who pushed her past her own mental blocks?

"So what's the internship, and how did you get it?" she finally asked, taking the time to shovel the contents of her plate into her mouth before it got cold and possibly worse.

"Ah… Gimme a sec," Kyoko stood up to reach into her pockets, pulling out the business card Junko had given her and holding it out for Sayaka to see. "Here."

Needless to say, Sayaka's reaction was quite priceless and it involved spit takes and even more hugging.

The day their walls crumbled was streaked with the fading red of old feelings, and the vibrant beginning of new ones.

.=.=.

Homura noticed right away that she was the odd one out at this dinner table.

"So I think my friend will be fine as long as she has someone with her all the time!" Madoka relayed over the dinner table to her parents.

"That's very observant of you Madoka. It's good to be aware of the people around you and their situations," Madoka's father Tomohisa said encouragingly as he spoon fed Tatsuya, Madoka's baby brother.

"Yeah, but you can't count on people to be there for you all the time. Eventually, she'll need to learn to face things herself, don't you think?" Junko contributed, eyes reading a newspaper article as she spoke.

"But she always faced things on her own, and that's where she messes up," Madoka pointed out thoughtfully.

"True," Junko flashed Madoka a smile over the newspaper. "Fifteen points, Madoka."

"…Out of how many?" Madoka blinked in confusion.

Homura was seated next to Madoka and hadn't had the chance to contribute anything to the conversation. She didn't really have anything to say about Sayaka Miki other than the girl shouldn't be allowed to reproduce.

"But look at it this way, Madoka," Junko slipped herself a bite from the homemade meal in front of her. "Your friend is very lucky in a way. She's young, so she can recover from these things quicker. If she's smart, she'll learn from her experiences, and maybe she'll handle things better if she encounters the same scenario again."

"I guess that makes sense," Madoka said carefully. "A million points!"

"Out of how many?" The pair shared a warm chuckle, both mother and daughter.

When dinner had started and they all gathered at the table to eat, Junko had launched into discussing her frustration with the behavior of her boss's son. After that, Tomohisa discussed Tatsuya and the possible preschools to enroll him in. Then it was seemingly Madoka's turn to talk about her day and Sayaka's situation. Was nothing a secret between these people? The family was very friendly towards one another in a way that was picturesque and would have been unbelievable if Homura wasn't witnessing it with her own eyes.

"Speaking of youthful experiences, get any confessions from your secret admirers lately, Madoka?" Junko suddenly piped up, putting her newspaper down to lean over the table conspiratorially. "Anything new on that front?"

"Oh no, nothing!" Madoka blushed and shook her head. "I'm not really all that popular!" She laughed awkwardly at having been put on the spot with such a question. Homura really wanted to finally pipe up and say something to that, but was a little cowed by the fact that she'd been silent thus far.

"I'm sure that's not the case, Madoka," Junko said, reclining back in her chair and folding down her newspaper. "Every girl has to believe she has a secret admirer or two." She subtly winked in Homura's direction and the dark haired girl blushed wildly as she picked at her salad. "That's the secret to being pretty, remember that."

"Of course, Mama," Madoka consented with a smile. "Dinner is really good tonight, Papa!"

"Thank you, Madoka. Would you mind fetching me a cup of juice for Tatsuya?" her father asked graciously. Madoka just as politely agreed and excused herself from the table to do just that.

Homura could really feel how much love this family imparted with each other. It was... odd. Did happy families like this really exist?

"So Homura," Junko addressed the girl, making Homura sit up at attention. "You were right, Kyoko is a very interesting girl. A handful, but interesting." Junko smiled secretly, dangerous and beautiful as she thought up who knows what. "At the very least, she'll drive my rivals crazy. I almost can't wait."

"Indeed," Homura said slowly. "So she accepted your offer?" She was somewhat surprised by this, but Junko just shrugged as she sipped at a glass of wine.

"Not officially, no. But if she knows what's good for her she'll come around." The older woman put her glass down and canted her head slightly. "Maybe," she added as an afterthought.

"Ah…" Homura didn't know what to contribute beyond that and continued to pick at her apparently home grown salad.

Madoka returned with Tatsuya's juice, handing it to her father and seating herself next to Homura once more. "What about you, Homura-chan?" Madoka asked jovially. Homura blinked, not sure what the other girl was asking. "You're so pretty, your secret admirers probably get all wobbly in the knees!"

"Oh…" Homura flipped her hair a little self-consciously. "Not in particular. And I wouldn't care if I did."

"Really?" the pinkette maintained eating while periodically looking back at Homura in interest. "Why is that?"

"I…" Homura really wished Madoka's parents weren't in the room. "I already have someone I'm interested in," she admitted, hoping her blush wasn't _too_ out of control. Madoka blinked in surprise but smiled widely.

"This is the first I'm hearing about it! Can you tell me who it is, or is it a secret? Do I know him? What's he like?"

Homura felt pained with so many questions concerning Madoka at once and the fact that the girl didn't seem concerned or jealous. "I'll tell you about it sometime," she offered lamely.

"I'll hold you to that!" Madoka easily accepted that answer and briefly touched Homura's arm.

There was an inappropriate ringtone that started playing at that moment and Junko reacted to it, reaching for her phone that she had placed on the edge of the table.

Her husband tutted in disapproval. "You know I don't like it when you take calls during dinner," Tomohisa reprimanded gently. Junko just winked at him playfully as she answered the phone, making the man shake his head with an amused smile.

"Junko Kaname," the lavender haired woman answered breezily. She smiled when she heard the person on the other end. "Oh, hello Sayaka."

Madoka and Homura's interests were piqued at the mention of Sayaka.

"What do I owe the privilege of your call this evening?" Silence. "Oh, Kyoko, huh? Of course, I should've known she'd be contacting me through you. Go ahead and put her on!" Junko flashed Homura a thumbs up. Madoka looked in between the two in confusion.

"Di-did I miss something?" Madoka asked Homura.

"Maybe a little bit," the bespectacled girl answered sheepishly.

"Good evening, Kyoko Sakura. I assume you have something to tell me?" Junko sounded very pleased.

"_Evening_," Kyoko cleared her throat, obviously nervous. Junko could hear Sayaka squealing in excitement in the background and Kyoko quietly whispering to her to shut up. "_This is about your offer,_" Kyoko resumed, voice steady. Even Sayaka quieted down as they awaited her next words. "_It_ _would be an honor if you considered me for the internship position_."

Junko grinned. "That's what I've been waiting to hear."

* * *

><p>AN- With this sort of update schedule I kinda feel like a dead-beat parent who only shows up every other christmas slightly drunk, but with the biggest most expensive present I could find that I think you'll enjoy, but your tastes have actually evolved through the years and I don't know 'em because lack of communication?

That was oddly specific.

Anyway, thanks for the support and stuff. And thanks to my betas, RPPuzzle, and Ryhnoholter, who've worked their asses off to get this out.


End file.
